Travel News

What happened to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370? Five theories evaluated

Simon Calder’s Travel

As the families of the 239 victims onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines jet mark ten years since they lost their relatives, the search for answers continues.

On Sunday, Malaysia’s government said it may renew the hunt after an American marine robotics company that tried to find the plane in 2018 proposed a fresh search, expanding from the site it initially scoured.

The respected aviation security expert, Philip Baum, has given The Independent the five possible scenarios that he believes are most likely. Here, each is evaluated.

Pilot-assisted suicide

Many people have focused on the aircraft’s commander, Captain Zaharie Shah. He was 53 years old when he took the controls of MH370 and departed from Kuala Lumpur, destination Beijing. In his care were 227 passengers and 11 other crew members.

A common theory is that Captain Shah locked the first officer out of the flight deck. He switched off the communications systems that were designed to keep MH370 in touch with air-traffic controllers; donned an oxygen mask; and depressurised the aircraft. At an altitude higher than Everest, the passengers and other crew would soon perish from from oxygen deficiency (hypoxia).

The captain then, the theory goes, flew the aircraft along the…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…