“Goodnight, Malaysian 370.”
Voiced in the detached tone of a typical communication to air traffic control, it was the final radio message sent by the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 pilot.
On March 8, 2014, MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport and flew to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board - 227 passengers and 12 cabin crew. However, less than an hour into the flight, the plane disappeared from radar screens, leaving no distress signal or communication in the cockpit. In the absence of hard evidence, MH370's disappearance has baffled experts and investigators alike.
It’s been a decade since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a series of unanswered questions and shattered lives. Despite extensive search efforts and countless theories, the fate of the ill-fated flight remains one of the aviation world's greatest mysteries. There have been other significant cases of airplane disappearances before MH370. It is, however, unquestionably the most unusual. As we mark this solemn anniversary, let's delve into the enduring mystery surrounding MH370 and the myriad theories that continue to captivate the world.
Theory 1: The pilot of MH370, Zaharie Ahmad Shah committed a mass murder-suicide.
From the looks of it, the pilot had flown a similar route on his home flight simulator, deviating from his planned route. According to the scenario, he manually depressurized the cabin and turned off the radar communications, leaving the aircraft on autopilot mode until the fuel ran out. Depressurization of the cabin caused the cabin's emergency oxygen masks to fall. However, the plane's oxygen generators only produced oxygen for around fifteen minutes, thus the passengers had no idea that their masks were ineffective at all. Shah, on the other hand, had a more "sophisticated, longer-lasting" oxygen mask, allowing him to fly the flight until the fuel ran out. After six hours of flying, the engine failed, and Shah dived the plane, killing everyone on board.
This theory cannot be entirely discounted as there have been a few cases of pilots choosing to kill passengers but no one has ever taken six hours to conduct mass murder-suicide. Additionally, the government official report also stated that they had evaluated the pilot and the first officer and were pleased with their history, training, and mental health. That is no point for the pilot to perpetrate this event.
Theory 2: Flight Hijacking or Terrorism by Russian Passengers
MH370 was hijacked during its flight, with the documentary claiming that Russian hijackers took over the flight to divert attention away from Moscow's seizure of Crimea. This theory was proposed after another Malaysia Airlines aircraft was shot down by a Russian missile while traveling over Ukraine in July 2014.
Three Russian passengers were sitting near an electrical hatch leading to the aircraft's electronics compartment, where the plane's connectivity with the Inmarsat satellite could be managed. From the official report of the government, the possibility of a third party being involved in the disappearance of MH370 was not ruled out. However, Fuad Sharuji, Malaysia Airlines' previous crisis director refuted this theory. He mentioned that it is not feasible to fly the aircraft from the avionics compartment although anyone who enters the hatch can deactivate the transponder and communications equipment.
Theory 3: The Interception of American Military
The United States military had been practicing in the South China Sea at the time, prompting some to believe it downed MH370 after it lost radar contact. According to Florence de Changy, a French Journalist, it is widely known that China was keen to get extremely sensitive US technologies in the fields of surveillance, stealth, and drone technology and MH370 carried 2.5 tonnes of electronic equipment at that time. This might be at the root of what happened to MH370.
America had two radar-blocking jets nearby on the night MH370 took off, which led De Changy to assume they might have destroyed the plane off their radar and forced Shah to land but Shah refused to do so. Even though she had put this theory in her book, titled Disappearing Act: The Impossible Case Of MH370, her theory is not supported by predictions from Inmarsat data and lacks solid evidence. As a result, Mike Exner of The Independent Group stated that this theory was unworthy of discussion.
We Still Hope for Answers
A decade after the disappearance of MH370, the mystery persists, leaving families, aviation experts, and the public searching for answers. While numerous theories have been proposed, none have been definitively proven. As we reflect on this tragic anniversary, it's essential to remember the lives lost and to continue advocating for transparency, accountability, and improved aviation safety measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. Until conclusive evidence emerges, the fate of MH370 will continue to haunt the collective consciousness as one of aviation's enduring mysteries.
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