Factual Information 2015:1.1 History of the Flight/1.1.3/b
b) DCA Civilian Radar Data from Kota Bharu
The aircraft diversion from the filed flight plan route was recorded on the DCA radar playback.
(Figure 1.1B shows the diversion from Filed Flight Route in pictorial form (not to scale) and Figure 1.1D shows the Filed Flight Plan message)
From 1730:37 UTC (0130:37 MYT) to 1744:52 UTC (0144:52 MYT) a primary aircraft target was captured by the Terminal Primary Approach Radar located to the south of Kota Bharu Airport runway.
- The appearance of an aircraft target on the KL ATCC radar display, coded as P3362, was recorded at 1730:37 UTC (0130:37 MYT) but disappeared from the radar display at 1737:22 UTC (0137:22 MYT).
- At 1738:56 UTC (0138:56 MYT) an aircraft target, coded as P3401, appeared on the KL ATCC radar display and disappeared at 1744:52 UTC (0144:52 MYT).
- At 1747:02 UTC (0147:02 MYT) an aircraft target, coded as P3415, appeared on the KL ATCC radar display but disappeared at 1748:39 UTC (0148:39 MYT).
- At 1751:45 UTC (0151:45 MYT) an aircraft target, coded as P3426,appeared on the KL ATCC radar display but disappeared at 1752:35 UTC (0152:35 MYT).
The primary aircraft targets above have been confirmed by DCA and its maintenance contractor, Advanced Air Traffic Systems (M) Sdn. Bhd. (AAT), that it was Kota Bharu Primary Radar Station which captured them.
(Figure 1.1E shows primary radar targets (plots) from Kota Bharu Primary Radar Station, plotted by AAT using Eva & Plotter 01.01-27 (after diversion))
(Figure 1.1F - primary radar targets (track), plotted by AAT using Eva & Plotter 01.01-27 (from take-off)).
All the primary aircraft targets that were recorded by the DCA radar are consistent with those of the military data that were made available to the Investigation Team.
References: Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) Malaysia ENR 1.6 dated 05 JUN 2008, AIP AMDT 2/2008 on the Provision of Radar Services and Procedures, which states in paragraph 1.1.4 that “In the Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu FIRs, radar services are provided using the following civil/military ATC Radars:…g) A 60 NM Terminal Primary Approach Radar co-mounted with 200 NM monopause SSR2 located to the south of Kota Bharu-Sultan Petra.”
(Figure 1.1C shows the Radar Coverage Chart of Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu FIRs)
Source: Malaysian AIP ENR 1.6-11 dated 25 AUG 2011 AIP AMDT 3/2011.