16 March 2014 (08:34 UTC-07 Tango)/14 Jumada l-Ula 1435/25 Esfand 1392/16 Ding-Mao 4712

“The search was already a highly complex, multinational effort. It has now become even more difficult……we are now looking at large tracts of land, crossing 11 countries, as well as deep and remote oceans. The number of countries involved in the search and rescue operation has increased from 14 to 25, which brings new challenges of co-ordination and diplomacy to the search effort.

Yesterday, officers from the Royal Malaysia Police visited the home of the pilot. They spoke to family members of the pilot and experts are examining the pilot’s flight simulator. The police also visited the home of the co-pilot. According to Malaysian Airlines, the pilot and co-pilot did not ask to fly together on MH370.

The Inmarsat team arrived yesterday and will support the investigations….”-Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysian Defense Minister and acting Transportation Minister

Malaysian Inspector General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar, said they’ve confiscated the home built flight simulator belonging to the MH370 pilot: “We went to the house and took the…simulator and everything that would help us. We dismantled it at the house and we’ve assembled it at our office.”

People who knew the pilot said it was like him to build his own flight simulator.  He also posted helpful hints for homeowners on the internet.  He seemed to be an engineering nut.  As a pilot he has been described as “text book perfect”.

Relatives of passengers are now being questioned: “Medan police contacted me yesterday as they wanted to see me. So I have to go back to Medan to meet the police.”-Robinhood Simanjuntak, brother of one of the passengers, he also said many relatives of passengers are being contacted by police

Despite saying dozens more countries have been asked to get involved, it turns out Malaysia asked India to hold off on its search efforts.  India’s Eastern Naval Command says Malaysian officials requested time to consolidate and coordinate international forces for the new search effort.

Agence France-Presse reports that unnamed Malaysian military officials report that a Boeing 777 was flown in a re-enactment.  This re-enactment flight resulted in the conclusion that MH370/CZ748 flew towards Kazakhstan or the Indian Ocean.

Regarding reports that the plane flew radically varying altitudes  after turning west; once the aircraft’s transponder is turned off it becomes difficult for ground radar to know exactly where the plane is on the horizontal.