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News / World
The Growing Theories of What Happened to Malaysian Airlines Flight 370
By: Lauren Saccone
For the past nine days, the news has been focused on one major mystery: the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Here are the few facts we know for certain. On March 8, the Boeing 777 vanished with 227 passengers and 12 crew members onboard. Since then, 25 countries have joined the search for the plane and its passengers, but not a trace has been discovered. While no one is able to yet offer an official cause behind the disappearance of Flight MH 370, seemingly endless theories abound. Mechanical failure, pilot error, or a terrorist attack… everyone has an idea on what happened that fateful day. But as evidence piles up, some experts believe that the cause of the disappearance may be the pilots themselves.
There are strong indications that the men responsible for Flight MH 370 had something to do with the plane vanishing. Before satellite contact with the aircraft was lost completely, the path of the flight deviated considerably from its predetermined route. This was originally dismissed as proof that there had been some sort of malfunction — until it was determined that the trackers about the plane had been purposefully disabled after takeoff. Officials attest that only a trained professional could have turned off the communications systems and flown off course in such a discreet manner. Additionally, two systems that provide status updates on the aircraft, the planes’ transponder and its ACARS reporting system, were both manually turned off shortly after the last verbal message from cockpit — now believed to be the co-pilot calmly proclaiming that everything aboard the craft was well — reached air traffic controllers.
On March 15th, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced in a press conference that authorities were now considering the plane's disappearance to be a deliberate action instead of a terrible accident. This has rather complicated the already convoluted search for the flight; now countries are forced to considerably expand the range of the search, and include land as well as ocean — because there’s a distinct possibility that the plane landed safely in parts unknown.
Particular focus has centered around pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah. Investigators are now citing his support the People’s Justice Party, a political group solidly against the authoritarian government that runs Malaysia, as a possible motive. Additionally, reports have surfaced that Shah had built a Boeing 777 flight simulator in his home. Some have speculated he used this to plan the theft of the plane. Perhaps the most interesting piece of evidence is the fact that Shah’s family moved from their home the day before the flight disappeared.
Although Shah has grabbed the attention of authorities, he is far from the only person of interest in this convoluted tale. Malaysian authorities are seeking diplomatic permission to investigate the idea that Flight MH 370 ended its journey in Taliban-controlled territory. Simulations indicate that the plane may have veered into Afghanistan, particularly areas under the control of the Taliban. Supporters of this idea point to the highly-debated fact that the final data transmission from the flight could have been sent when the plane was on the ground.
But wait, there’s more; others seriously doubt that the plane and its passengers arrived anywhere safely. Another theory being presented involves a much grislier ending: in an act of political protest and support of the People’s Justice Party, someone (again, possibly pilot Shah) redirected the plane to crash into the Indian Ocean. Given the final location from satellites, this theory has also been gaining credence and attention. The Malaysian government in particular has been a strong proponent of this idea, in no small part because it maligns their most powerful political opposition.
But even experts will reluctantly admit that most of this is nothing more than educated guesswork. As of this writing, the search for Flight MH 370 covers the area "north from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan through to northern Thailand, and south from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean," according to an official statement from Prime Minister Razak. As if that wasn’t enough territory to cover, the Indian Ocean contains hundreds of uninhabited islands, in addition to the vast depths of the ocean itself.
Everyone is looking for answers to this increasingly mysterious story, but don’t believe everything you read — particularly when you get your news via Facebook. A virus masquerading as a link to a video has been making the rounds, claiming that the missing aircraft has been found in the Bermuda Triangle with its passengers alive and well. People hoping to get news on the fate of the flight end up instead downloading malware or being redirected to fake surveys designed by hackers to steal personal data.
We’re not particularly big fans of scammers or hackers, so to be absolutely clear: The flight has not been found anywhere (particularly the Bermuda Triangle). Any video or link claiming otherwise is nothing more than an attempt to gain access to your private information, so steer clear. We still don’t have any answers on what happened to Flight MH 370. But how people can take a terrible and tragic situation and use it for financial profit — now that’s the real mystery.
[Pic via Flickr - Auckland Photo News]
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