Blogger’s Note: The Malaysian government has been severely criticised by nearly all concerned about its handling of the Flight MH370 disappearance. I have read a number of reliable books on this subject – and until the Black Boxes are recovered (there are usually two such devices – a cockpit voice recorder – and a stream of flight recorder) what really happened will not be properly known. At the moment, all is speculation, regardless of the quality of that speculation – with exact knowledge not being available until the wreckage is discovered. What debris has been discovered is ‘non-descript’ and cannot be reliably confirmed as being definitely (and incontrovertibly) originating from Flight MH370.
Of course, as and when more material evidence is found, this analysis could change. At the moment, the two main contending theories are a) catastrophic mechanical failure, and b) Pilot error. In the case of the former, the cascade of required mechanical failures happening all at once is considered unlikely (although not impossible), whilst in the later, this includes accusations of deliberate technical sabotage and terrorism. Around these two speculations a number of conspiracy theories have emerged. I remember reporting upon a brief ‘cockpit-to-cockpit‘ communication between an Airliner heading for Japan and Flight MH370 – suggesting the Co-Pilot answered – albeit in a muffled manner. ACW (9.3.2024)
2024-03-09 China Daily Editor：Li Yan
A decade after the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 mysteriously disappeared, family members of the passengers and cabin crew continue to grieve for their missing loved ones.
On March 3, a gathering was held in Kuala Lumpur to mark the 10th year of the plane’s disappearance. Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the Malaysian government is “committed” to search for MH370 and is ready to discuss a search proposal with Ocean Infinity, a US-based marine robotics firm that tried to find the missing plane in 2018.
The Malaysian government’s plan to renew the investigation is expected to provide closure on the tragic incident.
“We are grateful for the government’s desire to resume a search after an extended period of silence on that part,” Grace Subathirai Nathan, daughter of missing passenger Anne Daisy Nathan, told China Daily.
Though life went on for Nathan, the lawyer has continued to search for answers about MH370. She looks forward to the search resuming in the near future.
The red-eye flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing mysteriously disappeared on March 8, 2014. There were 227 passengers and 12 crew members aboard the plane.
Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and the 239 people onboard.
Despite the largest search in aviation history, the plane has never been found and the operation was suspended in January 2017. Malaysia then tapped Ocean Infinity in 2018 to search the southern Indian Ocean, offering to pay up to $70 million if it found the plane.
In July 2018, the Malaysian government released a more than 800-page report, noting that the evidence led to an “incontrovertible conclusion” that it was under manual control, and it was deliberately flown out into the Indian Ocean. Until the wreckage is found, it will remain unknown as to who was at the controls of the Boeing 777 during that time. Loke, who was also transport minister at the time, described it as the final and full report.
On condition
Nearly four years after the release of the report, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said during a March 4 state visit to Australia that he would be “happy to reopen” the search for the missing MH370 “if there is compelling evidence”.
“I don’t think it’s a technical issue. It’s an issue affecting the lives of people and whatever needs to be done must be done,” he said.
An earlier Australia-led search that covered 120,000 square kilometers in the Indian Ocean found hardly any trace of the plane, with only some pieces of (difficult to clearly identify) debris picked up that may – or may not – belong to MH370.
Agencies contributed to this story.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 