that we brought you first, a strip search of an indian diplomat created outrage. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. erin burnett "outfront" starts now. next, breaking news. u.s. officials say there is evidence that flight 370 may have been in the air for four more hours after its last communication. plus, why some are calling this plane the biggest mystery in aviation history. let's go "outfront." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening, i'me erin

burnett. officials believe the plane may have -- the radius is very large, but includes the indian ocean. which is the complete opposite direction of yesterday's search. malaysian authorities say that have quote-unquote "pings" of plane data for four or five hours after the last transponder signal. it was that way, so if you extend the line, it could be in the indian ocean. like everything else in this mystery, no one is sure. the flight area and search path is literally still up in the air. they lost contact with the plane around 1:30 a.m.

that's not in dispute. what happens next is. that radar blip -- chinese officials released pictures of what could be plane debris. closer to the nigflight path. at this hour, the sun is rising, the search starting in the indian ocean. far west of the flight path. jim sciutto is in washington. why has the search evolved so dramatically? >> this is an important new clue. investigators are combining this with other clues that brings them to the direction of the indian ocean. one of the other clues, the

radar data. and the fuel range. it had about seven hours of fuel. flew about two hours before the turn, and then that leaves five hours. that gives you the big ring, and the combination of facts that brings us to the other realm. and this came from the malaysian air force, i'm told by people that know this well. reading radar and pings is more of an art than a science. you need to distinguish background noise and get a sense of direction. that gives them an indication that they should be looking in the direction of the indian ocean.

now, yesterday, we were talking about the chinese satellite photos. but this is joined with other things, it's more than one piece of information leading that way. >> but i still have one question about the pings. how do they know they're from this plane, and what do they tell us about the plane? we know there's a turn. how do we know it didn't turn again? the radius is huge. >> well, it was in the general area where they believe the plane was. not like a transponder, it's identified, combined with the other information, that's what they get. and your point about the search area. it didn't have to travel on a

straight line. it could have taken turns. that expands the piece of pie as to how big the search area is. and wolf blitzer was speaking to a commander on the uss kidd, now heading to the indian ocean. he said if the south china sea was a chess board, it's now a football field. >> and that includes the indian ocean, and the himalayas. this is much more substantial that the pings would indicate that they came from this plane. jim, thanks. and more breaking news. two u.s. officials are telling us that the -- were shut down, and were shut down separately.

that would not lead you in the direction of failure. if this is true, this would mean it was some sort of deliberate act. and there's the data reporting system, at 1:07 a.m. shut down. and the transponder, shut down at 1:21 a.m. thank you for joining us. what is your speinterpretation this? >> well, it's starting to look like this had to have been a deliberate act. a very resilient airplane, you probably would not have that length of time between them. could we construct a theory

where that happened? yes, but it would be far-out. most likely, they would be shut down at the same time. >> and the plane could have been flying for four or five hours after that. what do you make of that given this new reporting that you have been reporting at abc about these two sequential turnoffs of the systems? >> well, we've had so many reversals, so many fact have become questionable. it's starting to move slowly that they were moving to the southwest, and the sequential turnoff. it's hard to come up with conclusions. but if someone was pulling circuit breakers, somebody knew

what they were doing. >> that's what i wanted to ask you. being able to turn the systems off. and i know there are some redundancies. could this have been a hijacking? no matter who did it, they need to have real pilot experience? >> yes, and another clue, they were -- a seasoned pilot is not going to be wobbling around between different altitudes. so, what would they be doing down there? this gets curiouser and curiouser. the range pointed out by jim is staggering. could be from north australia to the himalayas. why would anyone do this? >> a lot of people are thinking

back to 9/11. terrorists that went through training. and learned about communication systems. if this report turns out to be true. they wouldn't have a lot of experience flying a plane. so, could this be people with just some training, but not a lot of training? >> possibly. and one thing that we're reminded of, the egypt air accident, and silk air, the 747 where the captain killed the copilot and dove it into the water. but a sequential turnoff of systems, somebody that knew what they were doing. and controlled the aircraft,

went to the southwest. >> and you're looking at someone that did it intentionally. what is the veracity of the sequential turnoff at 1:07 and then 1:21 given that so many facts have turned out not to be true? >> well, we need to take it with a grain of salt. until we get a phone call, a hostage situation -- >> do you think it's possible? >> it's possible, but not probable. we have to be careful reporting what we have, and putting caveats on it. this could change in 20 minutes. >> thank you very much, john. an incredible take on it. and there could be a very

significant change in story. still to come, what caused the pilots to end communication with airport authorities? we're going to go through where each of the communication systems are. and, conspiracy theories. we'll break down what is realistic. and we'll show you a massive plane that was pulled out of the water. we'll be back.

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more of our breaking news tonight. two different pieces of breaking developments on the malaysia air 370 flight. it may have been flying for four hours after losing communicat n communicatio communications. and two, systems were shut down separa separately. the data reporting system and the transponder. raising very directly the possibility that that was done on purpose. as you just heard from john

nance, he doesn't think that anyone without experience could have done it. tom foreman is "outfront" tonight. with this latest reporting from abc, and then the shutdown of the systems. you've been looking at the systems. what can you tell us? >> well, i know john. the most important thing he said was, take this with a grain of salt. airplanes are floating communication stations. it took off, traveled for an hour, then vanished with absolutely no information. so many ways that it could

communicate. let's bring out a model. i want to start with the most basic thing. the radio system. talking about a plane like this, in the cockpit, a basic radio system. pilots use it all the time. they used it right before the plane went silent. if there's a problem, the masks have a system where they can send out a distress signal. beyond that, if you look at the avionics bay underneath the nose of the plane, that's where the

transponders are. they say yes, there's a plane up here. this is malaysian air, we're headed here. this is our location. this is what they're all about. we know they were turned off, but we don't know why. and in the back of the plane, in the back, in the tail, this is where you find the voice and data recorders. in the back, they collect a tremendous amount of information. they tell you the angle of the plane, all the settings. everything is being recorded there. and not just voices in the cockpit, but any noises. which are analyzed endlessly. the problem with these, they don't transmit. they only help when you've collected them. but the whole point, a lot of

communication going on here. >> thank you very much, tom. they're valuable to get a sense of what's going on. john, let me ask you, to tom's point, talking about the communication systems. if it was turned off at 1:07 and 1:21 a.m. he talked about a sudden depressurization situation. could a situation like that account for this latest reporting? a turnoff about 15 minutes apart of two of the key systems? >> the depressurization doesn't make sense with the shutdown of the two radios. the other part might.

depressurization that might prevent the pilots to get oxygen. it's very robust. that could indicate that they did not have oxygen, but they would have been starting an emergency descent in most cases. it's not impossible, but it doesn't line up with the rest of the facts. fire? it's possible, but why did the airplane fly on, then? >> and i want to point out that the information is all coming from malaysian authorities. u.s. officials say it makes sense, but it's all coming from malaysian authorities. there's all the systems on the plane. two key systems, data and transponder turned off within 15

minutes of each other. are there others? >> well, the vhf radios that you talk to air traffic control, and the satellite telemetry, and the aca acars system. and in some cases, high-frequency radio. and you've got a cabin full of passengers with cell phones and probably at least a half a dozen satellite phones. you could call far with them. and from there, it's -- you've got to look at the electrical system. every engine, it has two generators that could power the whole airplane. and a generator in the tail. and a battery. and if everything else fails, a

ram air turbin that can power the basic emergency instruments in the cockpit. it's hard to run out of power, then, and that's what you need to be totally dark. >> and it's highly improbable, the least of the caveats. but if people on this plane are still alive. as unlikely it may be, that adds to the unlikelyness of it. there are few places on this planet that they couldn't communicate from the plane. >> well, i could put all my fiction writing out there. i've written many novels, and i

couldn't come up with a stranger situation. even if we find the wreckage in one of the oceans, this is still unprecedented. >> and the crucial question of intent as well. thanks very much. appreciate it, john. >> thank you. we have tom foreman here. i want to bring you back in. what about this, as you heard john talking about this. he's never seen anything like this. even if it's found on the flight path, this is unprecedented. >> absolutely. and i want to show you one thing. the acars system, he mentioned it. this is where it would operate

from. and a lot of talk about the engines, transmitting information to the company. that would be going through the acars system. and we had been led for days that the acars system is not functioning. but now, tiny, tiny blips. not complete information. all we know is that the plane disappeared. and if there was any communication, it was very scant. and you have to wonder if that's just an anomaly. >> and interpreting the signals is an art, not a science. it's not like, this is flight 370, look at me. still to come, the u.s. navy

searching for flight 370. we'll talk to an official. and the question is, will flight 370 ever be found? >> there have been planes that have disappeared. >> certainly. [ male announcer ] look at you, casual online banker.

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at a company that's bringing media and technology together. next is every second of nbcuniversal's coverage 0f the 2014 olympic winter games. it's connecting over one million low-income americans to broadband internet at home. it's a place named one america's most veteran friendly employers. next is information and entertainment in ways you never thought possible. welcome to what's next. comcastnbcuniversal. morning in malaysian now. american ships are searching.

joining me is commander william marks. thank you for joining me. the uss kidd is en route. where exactly is it now, where is it going? >> we send the kidd from the gulf of thailand to the strait of morocco. just to the west of malaysia. >> and the uss kidd, does it have a specific destination, or is it just looking for debris? >> we do have a search sector, that's in in close coordination with the government of malaysia. i should point out, the ship alone is, the most important

asset is the helicopter. so, you're not going to search the entire indian ocean with a ship. the helicopters give you a much greater range. and we're bringing in a new aircraft, and our p-3 group. the p-8 is the game changer. can fly 1,000 miles into the ocean, covering a much larger area. >> thank you very much. we appreciate you taking the time to give us an update. the search is expanding for flight 370. officials believe it could have

flown for four or five hours after losing contact with the ground. at the site of its last contact with the ground, it then changed direction. that's where you're getting the pointing arrow. off-base from its scheduled route into the indian ocean. is it possible that this plane may never be found? it has happened dozens of times over the years. kyung lah is "outfront." >> reporter: look back through aviation history, and there are other mysteries that linger for months, years, even decades. there have been planes that disappeared. carroll gray is an air flight

histori historian. -- attempted to fly around the globe. her mystery, unsolved. for a passenger plane like that to disappear, it's not unprecedented either. >> no. one that comes to mind is the british south americaen airlines. >> in the 1940s. and two planes disappeared in ber mu da. even the search plane disappeared. still unsolved. and this, the flying tiger line. >> went off the radar. gone, disappeared. >> no wreckage. >> no. >> it was 1962. more than 90 people aboard.

unsolved. the crash of -- in the movie alive. the survivors resorted to cannibalism until they were found. this mystery, solved after 72 days. what are bloggers saying now about this modern mystery? >> this is a weird event that doesn't lend itself to the regular explanations. it's phenomenally gripping. things that are unsolved just grab people. especially with the common experience of flying. >> reporter: that's why he says that today's mystery must be solved. >> if you get on a plane, are

you going to wonder if you're going to disappear? that's why we need an explanation fairly soon. >> and many of the examples date back to the '50s, '60s, and '70s. aircraft are much safer now. >> thanks. joining me are two airline pilots. both of you have flown the 777. >> sure. >> you know this plane intimately. let's start with the missing planes, back in the '50s and '60s, and '70s. do you think we'll find the plane? >> yes. we found the titanic. >> it's just going to take some

time. >> and even though it's in the indian ocean -- >> so much pressure on everybody. the search is not going to stop until something is found. >> and the latest report, malaysian authorities saying that it flew for four to five hours after losing contact with the ground. and the latest abc news report that two separate moments in which communication systems were turned off. let's start with that. you said you would have to look at the manual to see how to turn it off. so, you don't think it's realistic. >> well, it's directly below the gally and the cockpit. you would have to remove the

carpet, keep people from going back. and go down some stairs to find the equipment. it can't be shut off in-flight. but that's after the fact equipment. it's utilized only after an accident. >> so, mark, you and i were talking earlier this week that hijacking is a realistic possibility. but some of these things could be incorrect or only partially correct. so, we don't know. but does this change your view about whether this is a purposefpurpos purposeful act? >> i still think this is a

purposeful act. we don't know the condition of the crew or passengers. peop so that leads to some speculation. that airplane was on a flight path, a predetermined flight path. it had been set in kuala lumpur. agreed to track where that path was going. >> so you think this was deliberate. i don't think you agree. >> no. i'm very skeptical about that. if it was deliberate, it had to be a consortium of people getting involved. this is not, i don't believe, a 9/11 scenario. this would have taken some engineering.

going with mark's theory, where are they going with the airplane? if they did turn off both transponders, if one fails, there's another. >> redundancies. >> where would they have gone with it? for what purpose? >> what's your theory on that? >> political motives. if you look at the outcome of what's going on right now, that in itself is an end that justifies their means. >> and this could have been a test. to see if certain things would work everywhere. >> i'd love to be proven wrong on that one. but i have difficulty -- i really think there was some sort of emergency situation that they

were dealing with, and may not have dealt with it appropriately. may have been overwhelming. four or five hours, i'm very skeptical. >> and the u.s. is saying that they support what the malaysian government said. but they've backed off. and a lot of people watching, afraid of flying. does this make you afraid of flying? >> absolutely not. boeing makes an incredible product. such redundancy. absolutely not. >> it's a solid platform. i'd get on it tomorrow, and i'd put my family on it. >> thanks. two very different views of what happened to that plane. up next, if the plane is

under water today, how hard would it be to recover? that's next. on what matters t. ♪ at axa, we offer advice and help you break down your retirement goals into small, manageable steps. because when you plan for tomorrow, it helps you live for today. can we help you take a small step? for advice, retirement, and life insurance, connect with axa.

at a company that's bringing media and technology together. next is every second of nbcuniversal's coverage

0f the 2014 olympic winter games. it's connecting over one million low-income americans to broadband internet at home. it's a place named one america's most veteran friendly employers. next is information and entertainment in ways you never thought possible. welcome to what's next. comcastnbcuniversal. and now, let's check in with anderson about what's coming up on "ac360." >> the very latest on malaysia

airlines flight 370. all possibilities remain on the table. we have experts laying out the scenarios. plus, the pictures dominated coverage last night, later turned out to not be the wreckage. how easy is it to find debris? and a closer look at the families of those who are missing. who the passengers are, how they came to be on the plane. all that and more at the top of the hour, erin. right now, the search area is extending west into the indian ocean and could get even

bigger than that. it could be anywhere from the himalayas to the southern indian ocean. information suggests that the plane did make the turn in the air. that may not end up being the final case. but if it did go down in the water, it could be a difficult ta task. it took two weeks in 1996 to get the information, and they knew where the plane was. here's suzanne malveaux. >> get those back. then we can see what we need to do next. but time is of the essence. >> reporter: he knows.

he investigated flight 1800, which exploded 12 minutes after takeoff from new york. at the bottom of the ocean, they spent hours scouring for clues. >> we found the nose of the aircraft. and then the wings, the tail, the engine, everything else further down the flight path. >> reporter: they believe it began from -- erupting into a fireball. put together from a debris field of 75 miles. a web of wires and airplane skin. >> you get to the bottom. get back seat cushions, victim

remains. you x-ray everything. looking for anything that may have been captured. >> evidence of the 230 people that may have been on board. as painful as it is to think about, it could provide critical clues. >> was there damage before the crash? >> reporter: reconstructing it was critical to debunking various conspiracy theories. he says that piecing the boeing 747 together was necessary to get the full picture. >> this door is badly burned.

but the structure around it is unscathed. we couldn't find any evidence of being hit from a missile from the outside. >> if it did crash in the water, divers would face harrowing dangers. currents could take critical evidence away. so, i'm told that they could get 99% of the evidence, but they won't get it all. that leaves questions that always come with a mysterious crash. >> thanks. "outfront" next, breaking news in philadelphia. a u.s. airways plane just blew a tire on takeoff. we'll have that report, next. pa pretty difficult thing to do. but, manufacturing in the united states means advanced technology. we learned that technology allows us to be craft oriented.

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. we have more breaking news tonight. a frightening moment in philadelphia international airport. you are looking right now at a live picture of a u.s. airways plane. its landing gear collapsed in the middle of takeoff. a very dangerous situation. these are live pictures. our rosa flores is following the story.

>> reporter: like you mentioned some very tense moments at philadelphia international airport. here is what we know from authorities. u.s. airways flight 1702 was headed to ft. lauderdale from philadelphia. and an airline spokesperson tells cnn the tire of the airbus a 320 blew on takeoff. we're getting some conflicting reports here because the philadelphia airport tweeted out that nose gear of the plane collapsed. we're also getting that same information from the faa that reportedly there was some nose gear collapse. but we do know that 149 passengers were on board. they were evacuated onto the runway. no injuries are reported at this hour. and authorities do say that the aircraft is not on fire which you can see there live from these live pictures that we have. now, the latest, erin, from the airport, the airport has reopened but one runway is still closed. and of course, the faa is investigating. >> all right, rosa, thank you very much. pretty miraculous when you look

at those pictures and think about how that fuel tank would have been full that there was no fire and that all those passengers were evacuated safely. still to come, pope francis celebrating a major milestone today. and jeanne moos has that story next. so our business can be on at&t's network for $175 a month?

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it has been a year since francis was named poechlt a record setting and trend setting time and jeanne moos has the story. >> reporter: almost from the moment the smoke announced a new pope -- >> it looks white. >> it looks white. >> kind of dark, kind of light. >> it's white smoke. >> reporter: pope francis was smoking hot.

poking, kissing, patting, making a heart sign out of a helicopter window. he touched people and he let people touch him. even play with his skull cap. from a papal mini me dressed like the pope to the 6-year-old who played peek-a-boo with pope francis at the vatican. kissed the pope's cross and wouldn't be lured away even by candy. when the pope left his thrown, the kid occupied it. pope francis was willing to clown around with newlyweds who volunteer for a charity that brings clown therapy to sick children. from silly to soothing, this photo became iconic. the pope embracing a man with a genetic condition that left growths all over his body. 53-year-old venico riv a described the hug. >> translator: i quivered. i felt a great warmth. >> reporter: you'd expect the pope toned up on the cover of "time" as person of the year. but "rolling stone" with a tag

line "the times they are a changing"? the pope he's just like us. we're not talking the voice of god. we're talking voice mail. >> reporter: imagine getting a voice mail saying it's pope francis. when spanish nuns didn't answer his new year's eve call he left a message asking -- what are the nuns doing that they can't answer? the answer was praying. the pope's image spread in what's probably the first papal group selfy. he beheld his own image made out of chocolate. the pope even accidentally dropped an f bomb. at a vatican public blessing, he misspoke in italian then corrected it. i never ever thought i'd have to bleep the pope. in his first year, not only did pope francis wash and kiss the feet of others, he also had his

own legs hugged. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> that's just fantastic. be sure to tune in tonight by the way 10:00 eastern choong's new series "chicago land" focuses on the challenges in chicago to improving its situation at 10:00 eastern right here on cnn. thanks for watching. anderson starts now. good evening, everyone. there is no other way of saying it. in the disappearance of malaysia airlines flight 370 developments today could change everything. as we speak u.s. naval assets taking part in the search, and navy aircraft are redirecting their focus in a totally new direction toward the vast open waters of the indian ocean. at the same time investigators are reexamining everything they thought they knew about what could have happened on and off the flight deck and where the boeing 777 with 239 people on board could be. experts are even considering the possibility it could be intact on the ground a