A Malaysia Airline 777 cruising along at 35,000 feet from kuala lumpur to beijing disappeared off the radar early this morning, no radio call, no distress signal. And now two oil slicks seen off the Southern Coast of vietnam are fueling fears that the plane with 239 people on board crashed into the South China Sea. Relatives of passengers have been gathering at the airport in beijing. Three americans are reported to have been on board. The names of two passengers listed on the flights manifest match passports stolen in thailand, which is raising questions about terrorism. Malaysian Prime Minister says it is simply too soon to draw any conclusions. We begin our coverage with seth doane. Reporter the search by air for the missing plane is expected to resume at daylight. Six countries are now taking part in the operation, including the united states. The guided missile destroyer u. S. S. Pinckney is head to the region. The malaysian Prime Minister says the searchandrescue operation will continue as long as necessary. According to authorities, the plane left kuala lumpur after midnight heading to beijing. It was last detected on radar at 1 30 a. M. 85 miles north of coastal malaysia. Its last reported contact came at 2 40 a. M. When it was somewhere over the South China Sea. On board the flight, 227 passengers, including two infants and 12 crew, all from 14 different countries. Among the missing, 51yearold philip wood who worked for i. B. M. , and two other americans. Foreign Ministry Officials in italy and australia say the names of two nationals from those countries listed on the flight manifest matches passports reportedly stolen in thailand. Twothirds of the passengers were from china. Distraught family members rushed to beijings international airport, hoping for news, any news about their missing loved ones. My son is only 40 years old, this woman cried. Many are frustrated with what they say is the airlines lack of response. Nobody has gotten in touch with us. Nobody talks to us, she said. Malaysia airline says theyre dispatching all information when they receive it. Reporter Malaysia Airlines c. E. O. Also said that there was no indication that the pilots had sent a distress signal, suggesting that whatever happened to the airplane happened quickly. U. S. Officials tell cbs news they are aware of those reports of stolen passports but have not made any links to terrorism. Jim, were here at the hotel where family members of the passengers have been taken. So far, theyve received very few answers. Axelrod seth doane covering for us tonight from beijing, thank you. The boeing 777 is widely regarded as one of the safest aircraft in the sky. The 777 first went into service in 1994. In its 19year history the plane has had only one fatal accident, the crash landing of an Asiana Airlines flight in San Francisco last july that killed three passengers. Captain Sully Sullenberger is cbs news aviation expert. He joins us from San Francisco, tonight. Captain, you heard the initial reports. The plane is flying along at 35,000 feet, generally thought as one of the safest phases of flight. Have you heard anything thats given you any indication of what has happened . Its too early to tell, jim. At this point, all causes should still be on the table. Its apparent, though, whatever happened quickly and probably catastrophically. Axelrod and happened before any mayday call could be issued. Does that give any indication of what might have happened . Not necessarily. You see, pilots are trained to have very clear priorities. First, to aviate, to navigate, and only then finally to communicate. In a serious emergency, they would have been trained to fly the airplane, try to solve the problems that they faced and only then try to communicate with someone. Axelrod if this plane, indeed, has gone down somewhere in the South China Sea or the gulf of thailand, how likely are investigators to recover the black box . I think ultimately very likely, and much more likely easier than in the case of air france 447 several years ago where it was in much deeper water and it took almost two years to find the recorders and recover them. Axelrod and, of course, those black boxes send out a signal that will ping for at least 30 days. Captain sullenberger, thank you so much for being with us. Thank you, jim. Axelrod now to the crisis in ukraine. President obama spoke by phone today with the leaders of six european countries. All agreed Russian Troops in crimea must pull back to bases it has treaties to operate there. But as Charlie Dagata reports from eastern ukraine, it appears the russians just keep sending in more soldiers. Reporter a convoy of hundreds of Russian Troops and military vehicles drove through crimeas capital today, the latest sign of a buildup that Officials Say now numbers 30,000 russian soldiers. In neighboring donetsk, people are taking sides, and pro russian supporters again took to the streets today. They shouted, gubarev gubarev gubarev reporter Pavel Gubarev became the face of the pro russian movement, after leading the charge to storm the government headquarters here and appointing himself governor. That was enough for Ukrainian Police to arrest him and charge him with trying to overthrow the local government. His lawyer, elena pryvda, told us, the people chose gubarev to be governor. Why in your opinion has pavel been arrested . It was a political arrest. They needed to take down the leader, she told us, because they think if they can take him down, donestk will be quiet again. Reporter Pavel Gubarev has become a powerful and popular figure here in donetsk and his arrest will not sit well with prorussian people here, neither will his replacement. Meet billionaire sergie taruta. Kiev has appointed the steel and industrial tycoon as the governor of donetsk. He is the countrys 16th richest man and hes told us he is confident he can reunite his divided home town. There are many russianspeaking people here who dont trust kiev and they dont trust you. How do you answer them . I dont think donetsk has many people who dont trust me, he told us, but give me two or three months and i will show you results that i deserve the trust of the people of donetsk. Reporter he may not have two or three months, jim. His whole job is to put out the fire and do something about the prorussian sentiment that might be seized upon by russia as a pretext for military intervention, the same way it justified the invasion of crimea. Axelrod Charlie Dagata covering for us tonight on the eastern border of ukraine and russia. Thank you. Prorussian forces confronted an unarmed team of International Observers at the crimean border today. For more we turn to Elizabeth Palmer who is in the capital city of simferopol. Liz, what can you tell bus reports that there are more Russian Troops heading into crimea . Reporter well, the kremlin said it wont annex crimea, and yet they seem to be building up their troop strength. There was a convoy today that was seen driving across the passenger, 60 trucks with heavily armed soldiers on board. Witnesses say they were brought in from russia. Theyre new ones, and they were brought in, in Amphibious Landing craft. The unarmed observers, you mentioned a minute ago, they tried to come into crimea across this narrow neck of land that separates it from ukraine. They were turned back by the paramilitaries. This is the third time its happened. Its not clear why they dont just get on a plane or a train, because at the moment there are no controls at either the airport or train station but that may not be true for much longer. There were men observed on the border today digging holes as if theyre going to erect, perhaps, a real border fence for a territory that may soon be or proclaim itself to be part of the russian federation. Axelrod Elizabeth Palmer reporting from crimea tonight. Thank you, liz. 245,000 homes and businesses are without power in North Carolina tonight. Two days of snow, sleet, and ice knocked out power in the central part of the state, the piedmont. It should take until wednesday to restore power to everyone there. For the second year in a row, conservatives at the cpac conference outside of washington picked kentucky senator rand paul as their choice for president in this afternoons straw poll. Paul came in at 31 , followed by texas senator ted cruz, and dr. Ben carson. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came in fourth. In the past three cpacs, winners have gone on to claim the republican nomination. This weekend has brought a break in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius. The double amputee sprinter, known as, the blade runner, who is accused of killing his girlfriend. The first week of testimony included witnesses who said pistorius had a dangerous history with guns. Heres deborah patta. Reporter it was a week of dramatic and compelling testimony that began and ended much the same way, with Oscar Pistorius running against media gauntlet to get to and from court. Neighbors of pistorius took to the stand to detail how they heard gunshots and a woman screaming on the night of the killing. Radiologist dr. Johan stipp lives 237 feet away and was one of the first to arrive. I remember the first thing he said when i got there was that he said, i shot her. I thought she was a burglar, and i shot her. Reporter stipp recalled how pistorius prayed for reeva steencamp to live. During the testimony, pistorius became visibly emotional. He broke down crying and then covered his ears as if to block out the words he was hearing. The court also heard damaging evidence of pistorius reckless gun behavior, from his friend, professional boxer kevin lerena, who described how pistorius fired gun by accident underneath a table in a crowded restaurant. I dont know what happened, how the gun went off. But he did apologize and say, im so sorry. It was a mistake. Are you okay . Is everybody okay . I do remember oscar saying, please, to darren, just say it was you. I dont want any attention around me, just say it was you. Reporter on friday, pistorius exgirlfriend, samantha taylor, told the court he once laughingly fired a gun through the rooftop of his car and never went anywhere without his gun. The prosecution is building up a case that pistorius is a gun obsessed man who killed his girlfriend in a murderous fit of rage. Next week they intend calling specialist witnesses, including bloodspatter and forensic experts, to add weight to the case. Deborah patta, cbs news, pretoria, south africa. Axelrod an 89yearold world war ii veteran by the name of Richard Faulkner got a purple heart today in upstate new york in a ceremony 70 years in the making. Staff Sergeant Faulkner was the sole survivor of a combat crash in france in 1944 that left him stranded behind enemy lines. He originally declined a purple heart but decide year ago he wanted something for his grandchildren to remember him by. That should do the trick. The commissary cuts that could hit military Family Budgets hard. And the final journey of a native diver, saving the remains of a champion race horse but not track he ran on when the cbs evening news continues. Continues. The world. [ crowd cheers ] the next im saying. I have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. I had some intense pain. It progressively got worse. My rheumatologist told me about enbrel. Im surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. Serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. Before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether youve been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. You should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. Tell your doctor if youre prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. Get back to the things that matter most. Ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ male announcer ] enbrel, the numberone biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. Im pretty sure the back door is locked. Anyway, what could happen in a couple of hours, right . When youre worried about things at home, its impossible to think about anything else. Adt gives you Fast Response monitoring for burglary, fire, and carbon monoxide. Honey . You okay . Plus, you can control your home from almost anywhere. [ click ] call now and get adt for just 79. So you can get back to date night. Plays a key role throughout our lives. One a day womens 50 is a complete multivitamin designed for Womens Health concerns as we age. With 7 antioxidants to support cell health. One a day womens 50 . So i got the new nokia lumia icon. Its got 1080p video, three times zoom, and a twentymegapixel sensor. Its got the brightest display, so i can see what im shooting even outdoors, and 4 mics that capture incredible sound. Plus, it has apps like vine and free cloud storage. My new lumia icon is so great, even our wipeouts look amazing. Honestly, i want to see you be brave afghanistan, in 2009. Orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once its earned, usaa Auto Insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. Because it offers a superior level of protection. And because usaas commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. Begin your legacy. Get an Auto Insurance quote. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Axelrod American Military families learned this week they may be taking on more of the burden of balancing the defense budget. The pentagon wants to slash the subsidies for base commissaries that make groceries cheaper. Mark albert look as how that could make prices soar for millions of our troops and veterans. Reporter military families stock up on muchneeded savings at base comsears around the world, as much as 30 off name brand supermarket prices. But this week, defense secretary chuck hagel told congress that to maintain force readiness, subsidies for nearly all 178 u. S. Commaries and other military benefits must be cut. Its a plan that allows our military to meet americas future challenges and threats. Reporter the current subsidy stands at 1. 4 billion. The new budget would slice that figure by 2third. I just dont think its responsible. Reporter military families like the benards could be hit hard. They have three young kids to feed. It would directly affect my household budget. It would it would cause stress because then youre trying to figure out where else you can cut. Reporter so you plan every meal. Plan every meal. Reporter being frugal balances the budget for her and her husband. They are a singleincome Family Living in Northern Virginia on about 40,000 a year. The overall savings of a commissary, its almost i cant put it into words. Reporter at the fort bellvorstate comcircumstance bernard counts up the savings. Thats about what, 200 savings every two weeks. Yup. Reporter that adds up. Yup. Reporter the bernards save about 5,000 a year. A half gallon of lactaid 2 milt at the commissary costs 3. 39. At giant stores its 76 more expensive. 18 egg land eggs go for 2. 89. 12 at the supermarket cost more. You cant cowt where you live. You cant cut out your food, where you eat. So the niceties in life would have to be cut out and i think that directly affects the moral and welfare of our troops. Reporter a treasured benefit that soon culd carry a painful expiration date. Mark albert, cbs news, washington. Axelrod up next, who saves what with Daylight Saving time . [ male announcer ] this is kevin. To prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, hes agreed to give it up. Thats today . [ male announcer ] well be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. I was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. And now ive got to take more pills. Yup. Another pill stop. Can i get my aleve back yet . For my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easyopen red arthritis cap. You know how painful heartburn can be. For fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. Only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up relieving the pain quickly. Try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. So i deserve a Small Business credit card with amazing rewards. With the spark cash card from capital one, i get 2 cash back on every purchase, every day. I break my back around here. Finally someones recognizing me with unlimited rewards meetings start at 11, cindy. [ male announcer ] get the spark Business Card from capital one. Choose 2 cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day. Whats in your wallet . I need your timesheets, Larry Axelrod it is time to spring ahead. Turning the clock one hour ahead when Daylight Saving time begins at 2 00 tomorrow morning. The reason for the mad dash around the house to make sure weve got the right time on our clocks and watches has long been that an extra hour of light in our days translates to energy savings. But Michael Downing, the author of spring forward the annual madness of