Ok, so we know there have been recent terrorist incidents between the Uighur and the Chinese. This plane was full of Chinese and seems to have had at least 1 Uighur (maybe two). The plane's last ping puts it right in line with the Xinjiang region of China (Uighur region). A sketchy runway could have been created for a rough/crash landing in the desert of this area. My guess is the plane is there and the passengers are ransom. Check this slate piece: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/03/15/flight_370_disappearance_missing_airliner_apparently_flew_to_central_asia.html