Probably headed back to the coast after experiencing difficulties then something incapacitated the crew, until they ran out of fuel over the Indian ocean. > An

Probably headed back to the coast after experiencing difficulties then something incapacitated the crew, until they ran out of fuel over the Indian ocean. > An Asia-based pilot of a Boeing 777-200, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said an ascent above the plane’s service limit of 43,100 feet, along with a depressurized cabin, could have rendered the passengers and crew unconscious, and could be a deliberate maneuver by a pilot or a hijacker. > Other experts said that altitude changes would be expected if the pilots became disabled after the plane’s autopilot was disengaged. Changes in the weight distribution on the plane as fuel burned off would make the plane descend and climb repeatedly, though changes in course would be harder to explain. ... > The data, the official said, “leads them to believe that it either ran out of fuel or crashed right before it ran out of fuel.” > It would take a long runway to land a plane of that size, the official said. Although the radius that the plane could have flown extends into South Asia, the official added, “the idea it could cross into Indian airspace and not get picked up made no sense.”