Eleven years have passed since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 signed off from Malaysian air traffic control with the now-infamous phrase: “Good night Malaysia three seven zero,” as the Boeing 777 transitioned into Vietnamese airspace.
Disappearance of MH370: A Decade-Long Mystery
The aircraft, en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, vanished on March 8, 2014, and has not been heard from since.
Just two minutes following that final communication from the Malaysian pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the plane disappeared from radar systems.
Despite the aircraft becoming untraceable on radar, Malaysian military trackers continued to monitor MH370. They observed the plane make a sudden sharp left turn, re-entering Malaysian airspace before proceeding for another seven hours towards the central Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have exhausted its fuel and crashed.
Extensive Search Efforts Prove Unsuccessful
Numerous search operations were initiated in the aftermath of Flight MH370’s disappearance. Australia spearheaded a three-year endeavor, meticulously scouring 75,000 square miles of the southern Indian Ocean in a determined effort to locate the missing plane and its occupants, including eight Australian citizens.
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However, in 2017, Australian authorities concluded the extensive search.
“Despite exhaustive efforts employing the best available science, cutting-edge technology, and expert modeling and advice from top-tier professionals, the aircraft’s location unfortunately remains undetermined,” authorities stated at the time.
“The decision to suspend the underwater search was made with considerable gravity and profound sadness.”
Renewed Hope: Ocean Infinity Launches New Search
Now, eleven years later, a new search for MH370 has commenced. Maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity is undertaking this fresh endeavor, aiming to finally locate the aircraft and the 239 individuals on board.
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke recently announced that the Malaysian government is in the process of finalizing a contract with Ocean Infinity. He affirmed Malaysia’s positive stance toward “Ocean Infinity’s proactive approach in deploying their vessels.”
MH370 Theories: Unraveling the Mystery
Possible Explanations for MH370’s Fate
Richard Godfrey, operator of the website www.mh370search.com and a retired aerospace engineer, noted that approximately 150 books have been published regarding MH370, each proposing diverse theories.
“The proposed scenarios range from the improbable, such as alien abduction, to conspiratorial narratives involving government plots and secret agents,” Mr. Godfrey explained to news.com.au.
“Sinister theories suggest involvement by nations like China, Russia, or the United States. Protective theories dismiss pilot involvement based on personal character assessments, while some even cite clairvoyant visions.”
He further mentioned unsubstantiated claims from the public of spotting MH370 on Google Earth, and documentaries that conflate varied and often contradictory theories.
One prominent theory alleges that the US military may have downed MH370 or that it landed on Diego Garcia – a British Indian Ocean Territory island serving as a US and UK military installation.
This theory posits that the US considered the aircraft a terrorist hijacked security threat. However, experts have largely dismissed this, citing insufficient fuel for Diego Garcia and a lack of credible hijacking or shoot-down evidence.
Another hijacking theory suggests the plane was diverted to Kazakhstan under orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, flight data indicates MH370 veered away from Kazakhstan towards the Indian Ocean.
Beyond terrestrial explanations, speculation has extended to the possibility of alien involvement or the plane being engulfed by a black hole.
“My analysis is strictly based on scientific research, utilizing concrete data and verifiable evidence,” Mr. Godfrey emphasized.
“Boeing provides flight range and endurance specifications for the 777. Malaysia Airlines engineering supplied precise fuel capacity and efficiency metrics for the specific aircraft engines.”
Mr. Godfrey highlighted the wealth of available data concerning the flight’s trajectory and mechanics, including Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B), radar, and Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) data.
“Inmarsat satellite data confirms the aircraft continued flying for seven hours and 37 minutes into the Southern Indian Ocean until fuel depletion,” he added.
The recovery of 43 pieces of floating debris across the Indian Ocean further substantiates the crash scenario.
“Drift analysis suggests the likely origin of the debris and the general impact zone. The convergence of this evidence constructs a strong case,” he summarized.
A widely considered theory among experts centers on the pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, or co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, intentionally disabling tracking systems. This theory proposes a deliberate act of taking manual control and flying until fuel exhaustion as part of a possible murder-suicide plot.
A police raid of Shah’s Malaysian residence uncovered a flight simulator system. It contained a simulated flight path into the Indian Ocean mirroring MH370’s trajectory. Despite this, no suicide note was discovered, and acquaintances expressed no indication of any motive for such a catastrophic act.
Alvin Lie, head of the Indonesian Air Transport Service Users Association, described the incident as perplexing in the modern technological era.
“From a technological perspective, it defies logic and available tracking capabilities. Modern aircraft are readily monitored, even with disabled tracking devices,” he told news.com.au.
“Adding to the anomaly, the flight path from Malaysia into Vietnamese airspace, its return to Malaysian airspace, its proximity to the Indonesian border before disappearing, is highly unusual.”
“Southeast Asia is home to a technological superpower – Singapore.”
Mr. Lie recounted the case of Adam Air Flight 574, which crashed into the Makassar Strait in Indonesia in 2007. Singaporean authorities, he noted, promptly located the wreckage utilizing their advanced air tracking data.
Unanswered Questions Remain
“I have no specific theories nor am I a proponent of conspiracy theories, but the complete disappearance of such a large aircraft remains profoundly strange,” he concluded.