thn cnn breaking news. >> hello, this is a cnn special report. i'm don lemon. the watt street journal is reporting this. a final partial ping, but human intervention has been ruled out. planes are in the air, crisscrossing the southern indian ocean. and meantime, the first lawsuit has been filed against malaysian airlines. and you've been tweeting questions like this one. could there have been a threat.

something dangerous on board, and the pilots decided to ditch the arabirplane in a remote are? and are sonars not close enough? >> we're going to get right to our correspondents with the latest. richard quest is with me in new york. good evening to you. andrew, first, the latest on the search efforts today, andrew? >> reporter: we've got the biggest search efforts so far in this search in the forsouthern corridor. 12 planes, and ten are already in the air. the commercial planes are on their way back from the zone. still no information about what they've seen. but conditions so much better

today after horrendous weather yesterday. 12 aircraft up today. we'll start getting the first ones back fairly soon. information probably about four or five hours from now. >> so, the question is are authorities any closer to confirming the location of the plane? >> no, they're not. the quote yesterday said it all, don. this isn't so much looking for a needle in a haystack. we're still looking the for the haystack. it's a big area, and until they find a piece of debris that firmly links that site to the airliner, they're continuing to look for the haystack.

and the chinese ice breaker is in the area as well. they're going to be key to locating and getting to the debris. getting it on board and identifying it. but thus far, no further forward. >> and sima, have the malaysian officials shed any light into the investigation into what may have happened inside the cockpit? >> don, those are all questions particularly family members want answered. they want to know what exactly went on onboard that made them go so far off-course. in order to do that, they're saying we still need to find the flight data recorder. the good news is, the locator

25, the toad locator that listens to the signals has arrived. so, they'll try to get that out and find the flight data recorder. but what made them make the press accouncement, that they believe the plane is lost forever, they have satellite data. and the last ping around 8:19 a.m. local, 8:19 in the evening eastern standard time. nobody knows what it was about, or why that was. but that was way, way past the last known location of mh-370.

so that's when they believe the flight went missing. still trying to piece together all of this information to find out what went on onboard, and what made the plane veer off-course and what made it end up in what they believe is the indian ocean. they formed a working group to analyze this data further and try to get to the bottom of this. >> thanks so much. stand by. now, i want to turn to cnn's richard quest, and jeff weiss. and michael kay, a former advisor to the ministry of defense. and michael verna. and richard, you first.

you heard her talking about the partial ping. why does that matter? >> until now, we had the six pings trying to get in touch with the plane in the area. a handshake, i am here. i am here. so, they acknowledged each other, but no data. we had to wait an hour for the next one, by which point, the plane should have been out of fuel. but eight minutes later, a partial ping. not from the station that way, but from the plane that way. >> which means something happened inside the plane to make it go off. >> and initially, inmarsat said they didn't know anything more about it. but in the "wall street journ "

journal," they said it doesn't look like human intervention. now, the investigators can slowly bring the timeline down. the amount of fuel. when it would have run out. the partial ping. i'm not qualified, but the investigators can tell us. >> and these are all pieces of the puzzle. to jeffrey thomas now. here's what one of our viewers asked. how come it takes to long to get the pinger there when you can fly there commercially in a day? it's going to take about four or five days to reach the search

ar area? why does it take so long? >> because of the endurance of the aircraft. two hours over the search area, and four hours back. about a ten-hour endurance for the aircraft. and as has been mentioned before, it's a very, very remote part of the world. >> and you're joining us from australia. we'll rejoin you in a bit. now to michael kay. john kirby said we're looking for the haystack, not just the needle yet. one of our viewers said, how long would it take to find that needle? what is one piece of evidence you would like to see that would

help investigators here? >> we're talking about an investigation that has been over 17 days, with no conclusive leads. so, the analysis that the inmarsat guys are doing, that effectively is the interface between the satellite and the acars system. they use that to provide altitude and speed when the acars system is switched on. and that gives information back to the airline. so, it's a lot of space, 10 million square miles. so, what they've been doing in terms of trying to narrow it

down to the sector in the area of perth, trying to do that. locate that haystack. and the progress that's been made, a lot of people slamming inmarsat or the malaysians for not getting it quicker. if they're going through this process of trying to work through the doppler shift and correlating mapping with other aircraft, if they're actually doing that, that's good news for us. we have to give them time. if you're the malaysian prime minister and want to say something decisive, it's going to take time. >> and andrea has a good question for jim. could there have been an amount of dangerous material onboard?

investigators are still looking what happened onboard. is there a possible explanation for how the plane ended up the way it did? jim tillman? we're having problems with jim. we'll get back to him and the rest of our panel. >> coming up, it's a huge search area. on top and under the water. that's coming up next. benefiber is clear, taste-free and dissolves completely. and unlike other fibers, you'll only know you're taking fiber by the way good digestive health makes you look& and feel. benefiber. clearly healthy. ♪

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the hunt for flight 370 is under way again tonight. tom foreman and stephanie elimb have more. tom? >> one key to a search area, 6,000 square miles, is cutting it down to size. they will impose a grid upon the water. in this grid, not every square is of the same value. some with a higher priority, because they're more likely to have results. the center -- imagine the plane may have veered to the left or right because of its speed.

that could push the most high-priority boxes one way or the other. they don't know exactly when the fuel ran out. so, if it ran out early, at the earliest possible point, and the plane did not glide at all, that could push the primary zones to the northern end. and if this plane glided more than 200 miles, then you could have a primary search zone much further away. and day by day, hour by hour, they're trying to cut the box down to the highest probability areas. and below the water, a whole different story. stephanie elimb has that. >> well, it's a huge

undertaking. so, we want to show you this, starting off with the hide row foam. tell us what this does here. >> this is a hide row phone. a simple fied underwater micro phone. we're going to dip it over the side and listen for that pinger locator. >> and how wide, how far can it he hear? >> five miles. >> so, this is what's looking for the ping. if it went away, or they found a general search area, they would move to sonar. >> right. and this is sonar. this is going to emit sound. it's going to reflect off the sea floor. and the sonar is going to build

up a 3d map of the sea floor. and the information is used to generate the map. >> let's take a look at the hide row phone data, which is showing what you're hearing. >> well, you could listen to the headphones, but this is a spectrum view. showing the frequencies in the ocean. >> and over here is sonar. just showing us what's on the bottom, right? >> exactly. emitting the sound, it comes back and draws a 3d image of what's on the sea floor. so, this is how they build up a map. >> and you can see this

fantastic technology. but very slow going. you can see why it's been painstakingly slow to get any data from the ocean floor. >> thanks. and i want to get reaction from two people that know quite a bit how difficult underwater searches can be. captain tim taylor and christine denson, president of mad dog expeditions. thanks for joining us. tim, you used technology to find a world war ii submarine missing for 70 years. do you have faith that this plane can be found in that water? >> all the data they're finding, it can be found. just a matter of how much time.

the more data, the better chance we have of finding it. i do believe it can be done, but it could take years. >> and the weather conditions, they have a big impact. >> that's why i said it could take years. you're battling elements. you can map so many square feet a day, but you have travel issues, weather issues. >> time is of the essence. i think you will agree christine. how important is it to act sooner than later? the black box batteries are going to run out in less than two weeks. can they be found without the black box pinger? >> well, i do think it's

possible to still work with, well, they have to find the black boxes. i don't think we will get far without a point of reference to work from. they're still following the search pattern and protocol they will be -- going in and putting the hide row phone in, and work from there as quickly as they can. but as we just heard. getting the data can take time. and that's something we need to make sure that everyone understands. they're out there working 24-7, but it takes time, and it's a methodical process, and a lot of hands are on-deck. >> and you talked to me about

the families. when you found that submarine wreckage after so many years, what was the reaction of the families? it provided some finality and knowing for them, i might imagine. >> i'll take this one. it's bittersweet. it's been down there for 70 years. and a much older generation that had lived for this time without answers. and the mystery of why it sunk. so, the emotions of the families, it was as though it had happened yesterday. so, no matter what point in time we find the wreckage, the families need that. it's very important to be

sensiti sensitive their needs through whatever time it takes. they will always need to know and be updated on information. it's a tremendous relief and i think a duty to those working on this. >> thank you both. coming up, time is running out to find the black box. what if the batteries die? can we still find the plane? keep sending me questions on twitter. [bell rings] this...is jane. her long day on set starts with shoulder pain... ...and a choice take 6 tylenol in a day which is 2 aleve for... ...all day relief. hmm. [bell ring] "roll sound!" "action!"

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welcome back. we want to get back to our panel of experts. jim tillman, here's what andrea says. could there have been a threat of something dangerous on board, and the pilots decided to ditch the plane in a remote area? >> it's possible, but they could have put it right in the ocean some time before. >> jeff, is this something they're looking into? >> jeffrey thomas. >> oh.

>> i don't believe so. i think they're still very much focused on the human element here. i don't believe this is cargo or fire-related. as suggested in those scenarios, there were many places closer. the big question, to the end of its range, of its fuel onboard, and crash into the south indian ocean. the fire -- crash into the south indian ocean. the theories don't stack up in that area. >> and to jeff wise, does not being able to locate the pingers mean they're not in the water,

or are sonars not close enough? >> the latter. they're only designed to be detectible for two miles. so, you want to design the search area based on elements above the surface. so, the answer is we need to get much closer. >> and what's your opinion of the information so far? >> well, i don't know if i'm qualified to give comments about that. i can say that the announcement by the malaysian government that there are no survivors does have legal implications to it.

as well as the authority under the international investigation treaty to which they are a party. so, the information itself, there's been a lot of people participating in that. my big concern, if i were to represent one of the families, this announcement would take some of the intensity of the search away. >> do you think there would be any way to find out what happened without the debris? and this is for michael verna. finding the 777 is important, and until it's found, it's a

matter of national security. some believe that. and to others, it's on the bottom of the ocean. >> well, the fact of the matter is, we have no evidence. i live in the world of what is admissible evidence. we have no evidence of what happened. we don't even have direct evidence of the crash. we have indirect evidence based on the satellite readings. but we don't have wreckage or bodies that were recovered. that being said, what the prime minister making the conclusion on behalf of the investigating country, that does create legal

liabilities on behalf of malaysian airlines. >> jeffrey thomas, there's good weather today, and seem to be the same intensity if not more to locate the plane. are you hopeful that they will find something soon? >> look, we are very hopeful that they will find something soon. in fact, more airplanes are arriving every day. some from korea and india are coming shortly. so, we're very hopeful that in the next couple of days they're going to get a positive sighting and identify the debris fields with 370. >> thank you, jeffrey. when we come back, how some of the families of flight 370

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this is a cnn special report, the mystery of flight 370. i'm don lemon. i want to update you quickly, a massive landside in washington state. over 24 people are dead.

nearly 100 unaccounted for. here's a representative of the fire company. >> we didn't find anybody alive. that's the disappointing part. >> gary tuchman, what's the latest? >> it's sad and dire. but the same emergency officials are saying there could be people still alive. days and weeks later, people could still be found alive. but the death toll is increasing. they now have 16 people, and something unusual and sad, they

spotted the bodies of eight more people, but could not recover them. it's so dangerous, like quicksand. it's like a mud tsunami. the death count is at 24. we'll have a new missing total tomorrow. looks like the death total will go from 16 to 24 tomorrow. >> and speaking of grief, the overwhelming emotional toll on the families of flight 370. how long can they hold out hope? dr. david mckenzie and michael verna, a lawyer. it seems the families have

reached a breaking point. what's the latest tonight with them? apparently, we're not hearing david. i pose that question to judy ho. same question. they've reached a breaking point. that emotional video, some of them lashing out so some of the people in the crowd. you just can't imagine what they're dealing with. >> absolutely. and they've been put through a lot in the last almost three weeks of time. holding out judgment before the confirmation. and still no evidence. grief is a very hard process if you have time, like with an ailing family member.

you have a little time to plan for your last days with them. not in this case. now, they have to put all of their trust in the malaysian government, when there's so much doubt that they're actually doing everything they can. and making the announcement for some of them through text. it's been very difficult. >> and david mckenzie, you're seeing them every day. >> well, they're not holding up well. storming out of the hotel. many of the family members of mh-370 went all the way to the malaysian embassy on foot. they don't like this information being given to them like this, they want proof.

>> and it was announced today that the first lawsuit was filed today, against boeing and against malaysian airlines. >> well, my understanding is that it's a petition for discovery in cook county, which is the headquarters for boeing. i don't know what they believe they have against boeing at this point. but it's up to the families, if they want to seek legal redress, they'll have to do that in ma y malays malaysia. the jurisdiction for which court adjudicates this case is either the location of the airline, which is malaysia, where the ticket was purchased, the

destination or the domicile of the passengers. which is malaysia or china. so, they're going to have to do it in malaysian or chinese courts. that's going to be difficult because of the distrust of malaysian government all right. >> thank you. i want to bring in the rest of our experts. the first sign of lawsuits to come, the discovery. >> it is. and if you read this, it's the ultimate in fishing expeditions. they've asked for maintenance schedules, fuselage, training.

but the question really is, is it seemly? people are talking about malaysia announcing this. and whether or not we're talking about if they've found the bodies. and a law firm is starting a procedure. no clock ticking. there is a two-year period to do this. so, you ask people why? publicity and money. >> so, do you think it's the families or the lawyers. >> the lawyers. but there's no urgency to issue a discovery notice to boeing and malaysian airlines three weeks after the event, before they've even found the debris. >> and michael, nothing has been found and they're seeking discovery and possible lawsuits.

i wonder if it will make a difference if nothing has been found. what's your reaction? >> i've been on two crash discovery boards. this is probably one of the most complex investigations in aviation history. and coming in the context of social media, twitter and facebook. i don't think that malaysia was ready for this, with the dissemination of information. going back other crashes, there was a lot of discussion about investigations. you need to be very sure of

facts before going to the public. and the malaysian prime minister, deciding the fate of 230 people was complete. i think that was a brave thing to do. >> and perception matters in a courtroom, and especially in the u.s., dealing with juries. jeff wise, do you think that -- how do you think that malaysian airlines has handled the investigation? >> well, the investigation the handled by the government. but i think there was very bad optics for them to release the information the way they did. the text, for one thing, did not

look good. but i wrote about it in slate tonight. for the family members to be told that their loved ones had departed solely on the basis of a mathematical formula. which could not be checked by a third party. just take our word for it. i spent today looking into this, it makes sense. but it relies on assumptions being made, a constant speed. and the speed that you choose for your equation will result in a widely different end point. so, all the time spent in the ocean is based on the speed and direction they think the plane was traveling at. >> well, should they have done

it by text messaging? or a different way? what would you suggest? >> well, they should have done something personal. go to their doors. in our country, when somebody dies in the military, they go to their door with personnel to deliver the news. i think that they should have done this a different way. >> and richard is going, they did it a different way. but they should have brought them into a room. i have to go to a break. coming up, lessons from flight 370. can we be sure that nothing like this ever happens again?

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(agent) i understand. (dad) we've never sold a house before. (agent) i'll walk you guys through every step. (dad) so if we sell, do you think we can swing it? (agent) i have the numbers right here and based on the comps that i've found, the timing is perfect. ...there's a lot of buyers for a house like yours. (dad) that's good to know. (mom) i'm so excited. people around the world are asking tonight, how do we make sure to never lose a flight like this one? back with my panel. >> do carry on.

i thought, there's a fact here somewhere. when i find it, i'll let you know. >> and we can't change the past. it's clear that the design of the black box must change. do you agree, mike? >> well, there are lots of lessons that must occur. the pilot linking data communication system. through the acars, they can talk to air traffic control. midatlantic, they would have to use a radio called hf. now they can talk. and i think you'll see expediting technology in terms

of the black boxes. so, lots of technology out there. >> lots of questions everybody. if we can keep it a little shorter. jim tillman, adding something like a dive package. sometimes, simple is easy. >> it does make sense. and these days, it's good to find something else. i think it's not a bad idea. >> and judy, this question, what impact does this and other tragedies have on pilots? >> well, this is something called ptsd from observation. so, pilots are going to be

careful. double checking, hypervigilant. we may see that from other pilots. >> and richard quest, what changes are we going to see in future airplanes? >> well, the plane is going to be in contact with the ground at all times. and data being sent from the aircraft in realtime, so the location of the plane will always be able to be found. >> when we come back, final thoughts from our exfeperts. and our theories. that's next. pill. you decide. prevacid. ♪ 24 hour your theories. that's next.

back with our problem el an experts. now four of the chinese ships have arrived. what do you think? >> they're making sure everybody knows that they're at the table. >> and this question, i saw the plane. was flying a craz inin ining -- >> we don't know.

we've got this model, predicated on a supposition that the plane was flying straight, at a certain speed. and according to some of my sources, if you fly in a circle, that could match the data as well. we just don't know. i'm hoping that inmarsat will open its books and show the data and method they used. i think it's important that you establish really rock-solid evidence that this is true. >> and jim, tell me, could the pilot have crashed at sea to av avoid loss of life on land? >> yes, but i don't buy it.

>> thank you to richard quest as well. this is how we communicate in life off-camera as well. >> and coming up, oil and water, the the following is a cnn special report. try to imagine the seismic force that pushed alaska's mountains to the skies. or the enormity of the glaciers that melted to fill the sea. it looks indestructible. but on an overcast night, 25 years