On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight 370 (MH370) left Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia heading to Beijing, China. The plane carried 12 crew and 227 passengers, including seven Australian citizens and residents. Sadly, it never arrived at its destination, and to this day, its disappearance is one of the world’s most talked-about aviation mysteries.
How was its disappearance handled and what’s happened in the decade since? Ahead, we share all the information that’s come out on MH370.
Also, if you are keen for more details on the disappearance, most streaming services have documentaries and docu-series on the situation, interviewing those involved. Netflix has MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, Binge has MH370:The Untold Story and Apple has MH370: Mystery of the Lost Flight.
What Was Reported After MH370’s Disappearance
It’s known that MH370 was a routine red-eye flight on a Boeing 777-200 between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Beijing, China, and that everything appeared to be normal when it took off at 12:41am local time. The plane’s captain was veteran chief pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah and its co-pilot was Fariq Abdul Hamid.
The last words heard by air traffic control were “Good night, Malaysian 370”, Malaysia’s civil aviation authority reported. It’s unclear whether the captain or co-pilot uttered those words. The words were said as the plane was leaving Malaysia-controlled air space into Vietnamese airspace.
Neither pilot checked in with air traffic controllers in Vietnam. Minutes after, 39 minutes after take-off, the plane’s transponders were turned off and its tracking system was somehow disabled. Its communication with air traffic control also stopped.
On March 12, 2014, it was reported that military radar had seen the aircraft turn west away from the intended flight path and continued flying for 70 minutes before it went off the radar. This has been disputed.
On March 15, 2014, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said satellite communications from the flight continued for six hours after contact but were lost over the South China Sea. He said the last signal, received at 8:11am Malaysian time, might have originated as far north as Kazakhstan. After this reporting, the homes of both pilots were searched.
What’s Happened in the Decade Since
Four and half months after MH370’s disappearance, on July 17, 2014, another Malaysia Airlines flight, MH17, was shot down. The plane was travelling from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot by Russian-controlled forces in eastern Ukraine. The incident led many to theorise that Russians may have also been involved in MH370’s disappearance.
The first piece of confirmed MH370 debris, a flaperon – part of the plane’s wing – didn’t wash ashore until 2015 on Reunion Island, east of Africa. This appeared to confirmed the theory that the plane crashed into the sea, but it offered no clues about the cause. Some also believe the debris may have been planted on the island to throw investigators off from finding out what happened to the plane.
In the following years, more debris was found scattered across the African coastline, further solidifying the crash location. Millions of dollars were poured into underwater search efforts, but the main wreckage site of MH370 was never found. The official search was suspended in 2017.
Theories About What Happened to MH370
There have been countless theories swirling about why MH370 seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Some believe the plane was deliberately taken off course by Ahmad Shah, the more experienced of the two pilots, in a murder-suicide mission. Though, this can be disputed by the fact no known motive was found. Investigators have said there was nothing suspicious in the background, financial affairs, training and mental health of either of the pilots.
Another popular theory is that the plane was hijacked on orders of Vladimir Putin and flown to an airport in Kazakhstan. MH17 being shot down a couple of months later by Russian forces appears to support this story. Those who believe this theory say the debris found was planted.
Other theories believe the plane may have been shot down in the South China Sea or near the island of Diego Garcia, while more outlandish propositions are that the plane was subjected to aliens or black holes.
The Silver Lining of MH370
MH370’s disappearance exposed gaps in aviation safety protocols. Communication and tracking systems have been upgraded. CVRs are now mandatory on all new long-haul flights. While these changes won’t bring back MH370, they might prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Private company Ocean Infinity launched renewed search efforts for the plane in 2018, though with no success. It has since improved its technology and plans to resume the hunt.
“We now feel in a position to be able to return to the search for MH370,” Ocean Infinity’s CEO Oliver Punkett told the New Straits Times in March 2024. “We’ve been working with many experts, some outside of Ocean Infinity, to continue analysing the data in the hopes of narrowing the search area down to one in which success becomes potentially achievable.”
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