Introduction to MH370
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished on March 8, 2014, during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with 239 people on board. The aircraft, a Boeing 777, disappeared from radar screens shortly after deviating from its planned flight path. Despite extensive international search efforts, the main wreckage has never been found, and the cause of the disappearance remains unknown. Extensive searches yielded only scattered debris, leaving the cause and final resting place of the aircraft unknown. The mystery of MH370 has led to widespread speculation and numerous conspiracy theories, making it one of the most significant aviation mysteries in history.
The Disappearance of MH370
MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12:41 AM local time on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew. About 40 minutes into the flight, the aircraft’s transponder was turned off, and it veered off its intended route. The plane’s final communication with air traffic control was a routine “Good night, Malaysian three seven zero,” after which all communication ceased.
For the next several hours, military radar tracked the plane as it flew westward across the Malay Peninsula, then southward over the Indian Ocean. Despite these radar readings, it took several hours for search and rescue operations to begin, as the initial focus was on the South China Sea, where the plane was expected to be.
The search for MH370 became one of the most extensive and costly in aviation history, spanning multiple countries and oceanic regions. However, it wasn’t until July 2015 that the first piece of debris, a flaperon, was discovered on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Subsequent searches have yielded additional debris, but the main wreckage and black boxes have never been recovered.
Theories and Speculation
The disappearance of MH370 has led to numerous theories about what may have happened. Some suggest technical failure or pilot error, while others propose more sinister explanations, such as hijacking or sabotage. The lack of conclusive evidence has fueled a wide range of conspiracy theories.
Majestic 12 MH370 (conspiracy) theories:
Alien Abduction:
This theory suggests that space aliens are behind the disappearance of the flight. It has been claimed that some passengers’ cellular phones were ringing when they were called and satellites showed no mid-air explosion.
MH370 and MH17 were the same plane:
This theory suggests that the plane that crashed in a field in Ukraine was the lost MH370 flight and not flight MH17, which was scheduled to depart from Amsterdam and arrive in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The plane was shot down:
This theory suggests that the plane was accidently shot down by US-Thai joint strike fighters in a military exercise in the South China Sea. This theory also claims that search and rescue efforts were deliberately sent in the wrong direction as part of a cover up.
Asian Bermuda Triangle:
This theory suggests that the area where MH370 vanished is on the exact opposite side of the globe to the Bermuda Triangle and the plane disappeared there.
The CIA is behind it:
This theory was suggests that in this day and age there is no way that a plane can just disappear and the American CIA is covering something up that it does not want the public to know.
9/11 style hijacking mission:
This theory suggests that Israeli agents planned to crash the Malaysia Airlines plane into a building and then blame it on Iranian forces.
High-tech hijacking:
This theory suggests that MH370 was the product of the world’s first cyber hijacking, accomplished by accessing the airplane’s flight computer and reprogramming the speed, altitude and direction of the plane.
Cracks in the plane:
This theory suggests that slow decompression of the cabin left pilots and passengers unconscious. Pilots would not have been able to put their oxygen masks on in time and passengers would not have been able to detect any oxygen deprivation.
Microchip ‘Kinesis KL-02’ motive:
Kinesis KL-02 is the world’s smallest microcontroller. Twenty tech employees working for Freescale Semiconductor, the company that invented the microcontroller and is currently testing it, were on board the flight. Drone technology using the microcontroller changed the course of the flight and left it undetectable. The flight landed in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The motive was to prevent the technology from falling in the hands of Iran because it would have become a nightmare for Israeli defense forces.
US Military Base:
This theory suggests that MH370 landed at a US military base in Diego Garcia, which is located in the Indian Ocean.
Life Insurance Scam:
This theory suggests that someone on board the flight bought a huge sum of life insurance and wants family to gain from it.
Pilot Suicide:
This theory claims that the captain of the plane hijacked the plane on a suicide mission after his wife left him.
The Malaysian government’s investigation concluded that MH370’s disappearance was most likely due to an uncontrolled descent into the southern Indian Ocean. However, due to the absence of concrete evidence, the official cause remains undetermined.
Global Impact and Cultural Significance
The mystery of MH370 has had a profound impact on global aviation and public consciousness. The incident led to significant changes in international aviation protocols, including improved tracking of aircraft and better communication systems. The disappearance also highlighted the vulnerabilities in global aviation safety and the challenges of conducting search operations in vast oceanic regions.
In popular culture, the MH370 mystery has inspired books, documentaries, and films exploring both factual and speculative aspects of the incident. The case has also become a focal point for discussions on the reliability of technology and the limitations of modern science in solving complex mysteries.
Key References in Literature:
- Jeff Wise – The Plane That Wasn’t There: Why We Haven’t Found MH370. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015.
- Christine Negroni – The Crash Detectives: Investigating the World’s Most Mysterious Air Disasters. Penguin Books, 2016.
- Richard Quest – The Vanishing of Flight MH370: The True Story of the Hunt for the Missing Malaysian Plane. Berkley, 2016.
- Nigel Cawthorne – Flight MH370: The Mystery. John Blake, 2014.
- Ean Higgins – The Hunt for MH370: The Mystery, the Cover-Up, the Truth. Pan Macmillan Australia, 2019.