The Vanishing of Flight 370

Name: The Vanishing of Flight 370
Uploaded: 2019-04-14T16:29:48.000Z
Duration: 48 min 54 s

Flight 370: The Disappearance

Flight Departure and Initial Conditions

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 departs from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, bound for Beijing, with Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid on board.

The flight is cruising at an altitude of 35,000 feet over the South China Sea in clear weather conditions shortly after takeoff.

Loss of Contact

The last communication from air traffic control occurs without indication of issues; one minute and forty-three seconds later, the aircraft disappears from radar.

The disappearance suggests either a failure of both transponders or manual deactivation by someone onboard. All attempts to re-establish contact fail.

Search Efforts Initiated

Following a four-hour delay in arrival, Flight 370 is declared missing, prompting the most expensive search effort in aviation history.

Initial search efforts focus on the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand but expand after military radar reveals deviations from the flight path.

Radar Analysis and Flight Path Deviation

Military radar indicates that after losing contact, Flight 370 made a right turn followed by a prolonged left turn back towards Malaysia before disappearing from coverage.

Satellite Communication Insights

Flight 370 was equipped with SATCOM for satellite communications; it logged onto a network prior to departure.

After losing contact over the Andaman Sea, SATCOM attempted to reconnect three minutes later successfully but went silent again until presumed crash due to fuel exhaustion.

Final Communications Attempts

Two satellite telephone calls were made to the aircraft but went unanswered despite acknowledgment by SATCOM.

Five automatic status requests were responded to by SATCOM; these did not provide location data but allowed distance measurements between satellite and aircraft.

Search Area Refinement

Analysis indicated probable final transmission locations along an arc in the southern Indian Ocean; Australia took charge of subsequent search operations.

Challenges in Locating Wreckage

Despite covering over 4.5 million km² of ocean, no trace of Flight 370 was found due to its remote location.

Acoustic Monitoring Investigations

Hydrophones recorded sounds consistent with potential impact timing but were likely caused by geological activity rather than the crash itself.

Underwater Locator Beacons Detection Efforts

Signals resembling those emitted by underwater locator beacons were detected as their battery life approached expiration; autonomous submersibles scanned extensively for wreckage.

Flight 370: The Discovery of Debris

Initial Discovery of the Flaperon

On July 29, 2015, a group cleaning a beach in Réunion found a 2-meter-long metallic object covered in barnacles, later identified as a flaperon from Flight 370.

Aviation experts confirmed the flaperon's origin through internal markings, despite it being found over 4,000 km from the initial search area.

This discovery provided tangible evidence that Flight 370 had crashed in the Indian Ocean and led to further searches along southeastern Africa's coast.

Additional Items Recovered

At least 31 additional items related to Flight 370 have been recovered since the flaperon was found, including parts of wings and engine cowling.

Eighteen items were deemed likely or almost certain to be from Flight 370; however, only three could be definitively confirmed.

No traces of an explosion were found on any debris tested; only minor burn marks appeared on one unidentifiable item.

Satellite Imagery and Underwater Search Efforts

Analyses of satellite imagery revealed potential man-made objects in the southern Indian Ocean but lacked clarity for identification. Multiple searches failed to recover this debris.

A satellite image taken shortly after Flight 370's last transmission showed what seemed like a contrail; later analysis suggested it was likely just cloud shadows.

The underwater search spanned approximately 120,000 km² before being suspended in early 2017 due to lack of findings. An American salvage company attempted further searches without success afterward.

Theories Surrounding Flight Disappearance

Passenger Suspicion and Cargo Concerns

Two passengers boarded with stolen passports raised initial hijacking suspicions but were later determined to be seeking asylum rather than having malicious intent.

Among other cargo on board was lithium-ion batteries, which led some investigators to consider fire as a possible cause for the crash due to past incidents involving similar cargo igniting mid-flight.

Potential Causes of Crash

Electrical malfunctions are also considered potential ignition sources for fires during flight; historical crashes provide context for these concerns (e.g., Swissair Flight 111).

Sudden loss of communication and deviation from flight path may indicate crew response to an emergency situation such as fire or cabin depressurization leading them off course without attempts at landing.

Inconsistent Radar Data

Malaysian military radar data indicated extreme altitude fluctuations inconsistent with Boeing 777 capabilities; attempts at recreating these maneuvers on simulators proved unsuccessful, raising questions about data reliability.

Flight 370: Control and Investigation

Manual vs. Autopilot Control

Flight simulations indicate that the aircraft was under manual control during the initial left turn, as the bank angle exceeded autopilot limits. Subsequent turns could have been either manual or automatic.

For autopilot course corrections to occur, someone with knowledge must have programmed it; otherwise, the aircraft was likely under manual control.

Investigation of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah

A flight simulator found in Captain Zaharie's home contained a suspicious route ending in the southern Indian Ocean, although this was not officially acknowledged until later investigations confirmed its existence.

The recovered data consisted of seven coordinates from different locations, reconstructed from simulation software a month before the incident. However, it's unclear if these coordinates were from a single flight session.

Implications of Simulated Flight Path

The forensic examination concluded that no conclusive evidence indicated premeditated actions related to MH370. Nonetheless, similarities between simulated and presumed routes influenced search operations.

Investigators considered scenarios where the plane could have extended its range by gliding after fuel exhaustion or reduced range through controlled ditching prior to fuel depletion.

Profile of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah

Captain Zaharie had over 18,000 hours of experience and no financial or mental health issues reported. His background raised speculation about his final flight path near Penang being a farewell to his hometown.

Speculations included potential political motivations for hijacking due to his support for an opposition leader sentenced shortly before takeoff; however, family members disputed claims of marital issues affecting him.

Communication and Copilot Insights

An inconsistency noted was that Captain Zaharie failed to repeat the assigned radio frequency during last communications—a standard procedure he followed earlier—leaving interpretations open regarding its significance.

Fariq Abdul Hamid, the copilot with nearly 3,000 hours of experience but limited time on this aircraft type, also showed no signs of personal issues or conflict with Zaharie.

Evidence Regarding Copilot's Phone Activity

Reports emerged about a connection established between Fariq's phone and a cell tower as Flight 370 approached Penang; however, it was clarified that this was an automatic location signal rather than an actual call.

The omission of details regarding this phone activity in public reports raises questions about transparency in the investigation process surrounding Flight 370.

Analysis of Flight 370 Disappearance

The Nature of the Evidence

The simulated flight path raises suspicions, yet doubts about the pilots' character are hard to substantiate. A hijacking aligns with available evidence, but significant pieces of evidence remain missing.

The 2018 Malaysian government report could not link the loss of communication or diversion of Flight 370 to a malfunction; it suggests manual manipulation of aircraft systems, particularly that SATCOM was disabled by an unexpected power interruption.

After power restoration, the terminal rebooted. Manual inputs likely caused heading alterations. However, findings are uncertain due to limited evidence; the report does not explicitly conclude that hijacking occurred.

Government Conclusions and Ongoing Mysteries

Both Malaysian and Australian governments agree on Flight 370's crash in the southern Indian Ocean but cannot determine its cause without wreckage, which has eluded experts and technology for over five years.

Various authors and aviation experts propose theories regarding the crash's nature and wreckage location. Some suggest a cover-up involving an American naval base shooting down the aircraft, while others believe satellite transmissions were forged.

Alternative Theories on Flight Path

Other theories posit that Flight 370 turned towards India undetected and traveled as far north as Kazakhstan, with debris planted along southeastern Africa as part of a cover-up.

While Boeing has explored remote control technology for aircraft, no commercial airliner is known to have such capabilities. An independent French team proposed an alternate flight path suggesting a crash site further north than officially identified.

Search Operations Status

A surface search was conducted shortly after disappearance in this alternate area; however, underwater searches did not extend this far north. As of now, search operations have been suspended.