A decade after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, British aviation specialist Simon Hardy, proposes a theory that implicates the pilot in a calculated act that culminated in the plane’s final plunge into an isolated ocean trench.
The Boeing 777, ferrying 239 crew members and passengers, disappeared without a trace on March 8, 2014, during its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. This incident is considered one of the most perplexing events in the annals of aviation.
Not officially part of the investigative team spearheaded by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Hardy was nonetheless consulted during the official search for the aircraft. He utilized advanced flight simulators to scrutinize the jet’s trajectory. Hardy proposes that Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, deliberately rerouted the plane, flying it for an extra seven hours to ensure it ended up in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean.
Hardy suggests that Shah’s actions were a premeditated mass murder-suicide, with the intention to sink the aircraft in the Geelvinck Fracture Zone—an extensive and deep ocean trench known for its seismic activity.
Several key observations form the foundation of Hardy’s theory, including Shah’s peculiar requests for additional fuel and oxygen for the cockpit but not for the cabin. This would have enabled him to fly undetected for an extended period. During this time, the passengers and crew would lose consciousness due to hypoxia before the plane was ultimately submerged in the ocean. The sparse debris recovered over the years further bolsters this theory, suggesting the plane was engulfed and possibly buried over time by the trench’s earth movements.
Adding another layer to this complex situation, Hardy noted that the aircraft’s flaps were extended downwards, indicative of a controlled water landing by someone with an in-depth understanding of the aircraft’s operations. This, combined with the lack of substantial debris and the unusual “handshakes” or satellite communications from the plane, aligns with Hardy’s assertion that the plane was purposefully concealed in one of the most unreachable places on the planet.
Despite the intensive search efforts that concluded in 2017, the primary wreckage of MH370 remains missing, leaving many questions unresolved. While unproven, Hardy’s theory provides a chilling potential explanation for the aircraft’s fate and its passengers and crew. It highlights the extreme measures the alleged pilot might have taken to ensure the plane’s disappearance remained an enigma.
Over the years, the search for MH370 has shifted based on various theories, with Australian authorities and international teams scanning vast swathes of the ocean floor. The transition of search efforts to regions like the one identified by Hardy underscores the ongoing commitment to unraveling this puzzle despite differing views on the aircraft’s final moments.
The mystery of MH370’s disappearance has prompted significant revisions in aviation safety protocols, encompassing improved tracking and communication systems for aircraft traversing open oceans.
The saga of Flight MH370 continues to intrigue and shadow the international community.