Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces in the sea?

I was discussing an aviation condition called INCERFA (uncertainty) that is declared when an aircraft fails to report or arrive within 30 minutes (I thought or remembered 15 minutes) of schedule.

Malaysian 370 (MH370) should have contacted the Vietnam Flight Information Region or Area Control (Ho Chi Minh) within 30 minutes of the last transmission (the one often mistakenly said to be "all right good night." )

So the communications are or were:

Radar at 01:19:24: Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9[1] Good Night (this is the radio frequency 120.9)

Cockpit at 01:19:29: Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero

The next transmission at or before or about 01:50:00 should have been something like:

Ho Chi Minh Good Morning Mayasian 370 level at 350 (a fight level, for these purposes roughly equivalent to 35,000 ft.)

At around 01:50:00 or thereabouts, upon not hearing from MH370, Ho Chi Minh should have done something. This because the Malaysian FIR would have advised them (Ho Chi Minh,) much earlier, of all the particulars of a flight that would be entering their airspace; especially including when.

As before, Vietnam was compelled by ICAO rules to make inquiry of the Malaysian FIR or Area Control, create or declare a(n) INCERFA , and to escalate through ALERFA (alert) and DETRESFA (distress) if the need arose. This can and could have be done in concert with others. The need did arise.

The above was a gross failure that has not been mentioned or not in enough detail. The distances, including radar coverage and manoeuvers that I recall seeing, seem to indicate that attention to procedural requirements would have made things clearer for us today; Especially for Search and Rescue or Recovery reasons.

The authorities did say that the airplane made a hair-pin turn, according to radar records, but there is no indication of when, in terms of time, with respect INCERFA requirements and who have control responsibilities; clearly Vietnam.

I'VE BEEN WALKING MY MIND THROUGH AN EASY TIME
WITH MY BACK TURNED TOWARDS THE SUN
LORD KNOWS WHEN THE COLD WIND BLOWS IT WILL TURN YOUR HEAD AROUND
I'VE SPENT HOURS OF TIME ON THE TELEPHONE LINE
JUST TO TALK ABOUT THINGS TO COME
SWEET DREAMS AND FLYING MACHINES
IN PIECES ON THE GROUND.

-- James Taylor, Fire and Rain

This is all recollection.

Our women are far more qualified than I ever was.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/allwoman/114085_Meet-the-women-who-keep-our-skies-safe

[1] This is an Air Traffic Control Instruction, despite the fact that it does not contain the word immediately.

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