Infographic: The Most Dangerous Phase of Flight

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<p>Malaysia Airlines flight 370 was at its cruising altitude when it went missing. Find out which phase of flight has the highest fatality rate.</p>

This picture taken in Tangerang on March 18, 2013 shows a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737 plane flying over the Sukarno-Hatta airport in Tangerang. Malaysia Airlines is the flag carrier of Malaysia and operates domestic and international flights from its home base in Kuala Lumpur and secondary hubs at Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. AFP/Getty Images

March 11, 2014, 7:44 AM EDT / Updated March 11, 2014, 9:11 AM EDT

One of the few things we know about Malaysia Airlines flight 370 is something went terribly wrong when the plane was at its cruising altitude between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing. The Boeing 777 with 239 people on board was at 35,000 feet just before it went off the grid. Since 1959, only 9 percent of commercial jet plane fatal accidents have occurred while cruising. The majority of fatal accidents happen during landing.

Find out the latest developments of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 tonight on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams." Check your local listings.

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