Behind every major controversial news item there are usually lingering theories which tout alternative explanations and so forth. Of course, when most of the world is watching a crisis unfold in real-time and there are conflicting reports flying in from not only disparate news agencies, but also governments, well…there’s good reason and motive to speculate.
Watch the plane’s live flight path before it went missing here.
Such is the case with the recent disappearance of Flight MH370, which provides service between from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China. The plane, it’s crew of 12 and documented passengers (227 in all) have mysteriously vanished, seemingly without a trace or any kind of solid evidence as to what might have happened.
Naturally, such an occurrence is not without its inconsistencies. The fact that two Iranian men had boarded the plane using stolen passports is a big indicator (for most) that some type of nefarious terrorist plot was likely underway. Most surprisingly however, officials have largely denounced these notions, claiming that they were instead embroiled in some type of personal attempts to seek asylum or refuge.
Next, there are all the conflicting reports and new informational tidbits pouring in from news agencies all around the world. Not long after the plane’s transponder suddenly blacked out it was assumed that there might have been a crash, perhaps even a sudden and violent incident (as there was no clear warning or verbal indication given that the flight crew were dealing with any problems). This of course prompted a search whereupon a number of “false leads” were given, including reports of:
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An oil slick in the locality of where communications dropped off (however the substance contained no aviation fuel)
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Fragments of the plane being recovered (shrapnel including a door, etc.)
Upon further investigation however, it was determined that none of the matter or debris could have originated from Flight MH370. Afterwards, the Chinese state government released information including satellite images which showed three fairly large objects floating at 7°N 105.63°E. Alas, upon direct investigation, no such debris turned up in this instance either.
Currently, a number of governments, militaries and civilian news agencies are exploring the data as well as a number of distinct possibilities and explanations. For instance, CNN is providing information relating to the possibility that the plane could have followed one of two distinct flight paths. They base this on the fact that radical altitude changes and direction have been directly reported from officials. Combing this with satellite imaging and other data, most experts are content to explore the possibility that the flight likely went down within the vicinity of the Indian Ocean. At the same time, given all the reports of fake passports, the idea that this could very well be some form of human-initiated hijacking incident certainly cannot be ruled out.
These revelations are only further elucidated by additional reports from CNBC, which hint that the plane was intentionally diverted by someone who plotted a course toward the Andaman Islands. Add to this a report to Reuters from 2 unidentified sources “that the military radar plotted an unidentified aircraft heading through established aviation corridors used by commercial planes flying from Southeast Asia to the Middle East or Europe.” At the same time, seismologists from a Chinese university have added that “they detected an under-water event on March 8 shortly after the plane lost contact. The event was in an area where Vietnamese and Malaysian waters meet, about 70 miles northeast from where the plane lost contact.”
Currently, experts and officials are still clamoring for data and eagerly purveying areas of interest for debris, or pinging signals in the hopes that they will discover a telling clue which will lead them to the truth. Regardless, let’s hope that the mystery of flight Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 is quickly resolved in order to provide solace for the grieving families of the victims. After reading this article you might want to read How To Improve Your Chances of Surviving a Plane Crash which provides tips and information for when you next travel and fly.