🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 76 (from laksa038)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa076.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://thediplomat.com/2025/12/what-really-happened-to-flight-mh370/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://thediplomat.com/2025/12/what-really-happened-to-flight-mh370/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2025\/12\/what-really-happened-to-flight-mh370\/","crawl_time":1776108807,"first_indexed_time":1766463553,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,thediplomat!\/2025\/12\/what-really-happened-to-flight-mh370\/ s443","src_root_hash":"7372117259343613076","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"What Really Happened to Flight MH370? – The Diplomat","meta_descriptions":["The lack of information about the aircraft’s disappearance in 2014 has led to the emergence of a range of theories, from the plausible to the wildly speculative."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"ASEAN Beat\n | \nSociety\n | \nSoutheast Asia\nThe lack of information about the aircraft’s disappearance in 2014 has led to the emergence of a range of theories, from the plausible to the wildly speculative.\nWritten prayers and messages of hope for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 posted at a bookstore in Malaysia shortly after the aircraft’s disappearance in March 2014.\nCredit:\nWikimedia Commons\/مانفی\nThe seemingly endless search for doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is\nset to resume on December 30\n, having briefly restarted in March, only to be delayed until the end of the year due to poor weather conditions.\nThe missing plane has been the subject of a number of search operations over the years, with the latest hunt undertaken by Ocean Infinity, a U.K.- and U.S.-based search and exploration company working on a “no find, no fee” basis.\nYet, more than a decade after the plane went missing, it remains unclear whether Ocean Infinity will succeed where all other search operations have failed – and prompts further speculation about what really happened to the Boeing 777.\nTo recap briefly: On March 8, 2014, a plane operated by Malaysia Airlines took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Beijing in China, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, including a Malaysian pilot and co-pilot.\nJust 38 minutes after take off, while over the South China Sea and crossing from Malaysian to Vietnamese airspace, air traffic control in Kuala Lumpur signed off and passed the plane to its Vietnamese counterpart with the words “Malaysian three seven zero, contact Ho Chi Minh one two zero decimal nine. Good night.”\n“Goodnight Malaysian three seven zero,” came the reply, thought to be from Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, at 1.19 a.m. Malaysia time. At 1.22 a.m., the plane abruptly vanished from both Malaysian and Vietnamese radar screens.\nIt was still visible, however, on military radar, and was captured turning sharply left across the Malay Peninsula before moving beyond the range of military radar.\nIt is thought that the plane skirted the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and flew out across the Andaman Sea, before turning again into the direction of the Southern Indian Ocean, where it ran out of fuel and plunged into the water – although its exact fate has remained unknown for the past 11 years.\nIn the modern age of aviation, even back in 2014, with radar tracking, satellites, military data and other data used to monitor our skies, it has always seemed unfathomable that a plane, particularly a 777 commercial aircraft, could just vanish without a trace.\nTo fill the void, a whole host of theories have mushroomed. From the plausible to the wildly speculative, here are six of the most popular.\n1. A freak accident\nOne theory, which was included as\npart of a lawsuit\non behalf of some of the families of the passengers aboard MH370, is that a freak accident occurred, which was so catastrophic that it immediately incapacitated the plane and crew, making it impossible for them to save the aircraft or contact air traffic control. However, satellites, military radar and other data showed that the plane appeared to continue flying after it disappeared from air traffic control screens, and changed course several times, likely as the result of someone at the controls.\n2. Pilot murder-suicide with a controlled descent\nOf all the theories swirling around MH370, the notion that one of the pilots took control of the plane and deliberately crashed it into the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean has been one of the most discussed. This theory was deemed particularly noteworthy after\nMalaysian police raided pilot Shah’s home\nand discovered a home flight simulator which had a recording of the pilot flying a simulated route close to where MH370 may have potentially crashed.\nHowever, there has been no hard evidence that either Captain Shah, or his less experienced co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, had any plans or motivation to down the plane deliberately. In this scenario of murder-suicide with controlled descent, the pilot or co-pilot would have been conscious at the time the plane crashed. Experts\nhave said\nthat the fact that previous search areas were selected based on the idea that the aircraft crashed on its own, and the plane was not located, make it slightly more plausible that there was a controlled descent.\n3. Murder-suicide with uncontrolled descent\nThis theory rests on the previous idea that the plane was essentially hijacked by either the pilot or co-pilot and flown into the middle of the ocean. In this scenario however, the uncontrolled descent element would mean that the plane crashed on its own and that there was no one alive at the controls at the time.\n4. The plane was hijacked by terrorists\nOver the years, there has been speculation that the plane\ncould have been hijacked by terrorists\n, although after 9\/11, aircraft cockpits have been strengthened, making it almost impossible for anyone to gain unauthorized entry. It would also have been unlikely that the crew would not have been able to alert air traffic control of a breach, although it remains possible that they may have been completely overpowered. This theory, however, does not address why the plane has never been found, as terrorist elements would have likely had a clear goal when hijacking the plane, such as landing it in a particular territory or deliberately crashing it in a 9\/11-style scenario. Since 2014, this theory has largely been debunked.\n5. The plane landed safely on an island\nThere have been a number of more outlandish theories that the plane managed to land safely on an island or in a country close enough to Malaysia that the fuel on board would have been sufficient to fly there. Some of these\ninclude the plane landing\nat the U.S. military base on the atoll Diego Garcia, in Kazakhstan, in the Taklamakan Desert in China, or on one of the Andaman Islands. While some family members of the passengers on board have\nindicated that they hope one of these theories is correct\nand their loved ones are still alive, all of the above theories are extremely implausible.\n6. The plane was hijacked by aliens, sucked into a black hole, or shot down\nAs the search has continued and remained fruitless for over a decade, it is understandable that the theories surrounding the fate of MH370 have become more and more extreme in an attempt to understand the impossible. However, there is no evidence that a rogue state was responsible for shooting down the plane,\nor that it disappeared either due to alien involvement\nor other extreme scenario. This did not, however, stop\nthen-CNN anchorman Don Lemon from positing\nthat the plane could have been sucked into a black hole, Bermuda Triangle, or suffered a fate similar to the plot of the popular television series “Lost.”\n“I know it’s preposterous, but is it preposterous […]?” he said at the time.","attrs_markdown":"All Sections\n\nSearch\n\n[![](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/wp-content\/themes\/td_theme_v3\/assets\/logo\/diplomat_logo_black.jpg) Read The Diplomat, Know The Asia-Pacific](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/)\n\n|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |\n|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|\n| [Central Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/central-asia\/) | [East Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/east-asia\/) | [Oceania](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/oceania-region\/) | [South Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/south-asia\/) | [Southeast Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/southeast-asia\/) | 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[Society](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/topics\/society\/) \\| [Southeast Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/southeast-asia\/)\n# What Really Happened to Flight MH370?\nThe lack of information about the aircraft’s disappearance in 2014 has led to the emergence of a range of theories, from the plausible to the wildly speculative.\n\n![Aisyah Llewellyn](https:\/\/images.thediplomat.com\/v1\/td-list-xs-1\/2023\/03\/thediplomat_2023-03-23-050713.jpg)\n\nBy [Aisyah Llewellyn](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/authors\/aisyah-llewellyn\/)\n\nDecember 23, 2025\n\n![What Really Happened to Flight MH370?](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sizes\/td-story-s-1\/thediplomat_2025-12-23-093820.jpg)\n\nWritten prayers and messages of hope for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 posted at a bookstore in Malaysia shortly after the aircraft’s disappearance in March 2014.\n\nCredit: [Wikimedia Commons\/مانفی](https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Messages_of_Hope_and_Pray_for_MH370.jpg)\n\nThe seemingly endless search for doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is [set to resume on December 30](https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/mh370-search-for-missing-flight-to-resume-in-december\/a-74992914#:~:text=Malaysia%20said%20deep-sea%20search,will%20restart%20on%20December%2030.&text=The%20search%20for%20the%20missing,transport%20ministry%20said%20on%20Wednesday.), having briefly restarted in March, only to be delayed until the end of the year due to poor weather conditions.\n\nThe missing plane has been the subject of a number of search operations over the years, with the latest hunt undertaken by Ocean Infinity, a U.K.- and U.S.-based search and exploration company working on a “no find, no fee” basis.\n\nYet, more than a decade after the plane went missing, it remains unclear whether Ocean Infinity will succeed where all other search operations have failed – and prompts further speculation about what really happened to the Boeing 777.\n\nTo recap briefly: On March 8, 2014, a plane operated by Malaysia Airlines took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Beijing in China, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, including a Malaysian pilot and co-pilot.\n\nJust 38 minutes after take off, while over the South China Sea and crossing from Malaysian to Vietnamese airspace, air traffic control in Kuala Lumpur signed off and passed the plane to its Vietnamese counterpart with the words “Malaysian three seven zero, contact Ho Chi Minh one two zero decimal nine. Good night.”\n\n“Goodnight Malaysian three seven zero,” came the reply, thought to be from Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, at 1.19 a.m. Malaysia time. At 1.22 a.m., the plane abruptly vanished from both Malaysian and Vietnamese radar screens.\n\nIt was still visible, however, on military radar, and was captured turning sharply left across the Malay Peninsula before moving beyond the range of military radar.\n\nIt is thought that the plane skirted the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and flew out across the Andaman Sea, before turning again into the direction of the Southern Indian Ocean, where it ran out of fuel and plunged into the water – although its exact fate has remained unknown for the past 11 years.\n\nIn the modern age of aviation, even back in 2014, with radar tracking, satellites, military data and other data used to monitor our skies, it has always seemed unfathomable that a plane, particularly a 777 commercial aircraft, could just vanish without a trace.\n\nTo fill the void, a whole host of theories have mushroomed. From the plausible to the wildly speculative, here are six of the most popular.\n\n1\\. A freak accident\n\nOne theory, which was included as [part of a lawsuit](https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/storyline\/missing-jet\/mh370-lawsuit-suggests-electrical-failures-led-crash-n730571) on behalf of some of the families of the passengers aboard MH370, is that a freak accident occurred, which was so catastrophic that it immediately incapacitated the plane and crew, making it impossible for them to save the aircraft or contact air traffic control. However, satellites, military radar and other data showed that the plane appeared to continue flying after it disappeared from air traffic control screens, and changed course several times, likely as the result of someone at the controls.\n\n2\\. Pilot murder-suicide with a controlled descent\n\nOf all the theories swirling around MH370, the notion that one of the pilots took control of the plane and deliberately crashed it into the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean has been one of the most discussed. This theory was deemed particularly noteworthy after [Malaysian police raided pilot Shah’s home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/magazine-31736835) and discovered a home flight simulator which had a recording of the pilot flying a simulated route close to where MH370 may have potentially crashed.\n\nHowever, there has been no hard evidence that either Captain Shah, or his less experienced co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, had any plans or motivation to down the plane deliberately. In this scenario of murder-suicide with controlled descent, the pilot or co-pilot would have been conscious at the time the plane crashed. Experts [have said](https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/storyline\/missing-jet\/mh370-lawsuit-suggests-electrical-failures-led-crash-n730571) that the fact that previous search areas were selected based on the idea that the aircraft crashed on its own, and the plane was not located, make it slightly more plausible that there was a controlled descent.\n\n3\\. Murder-suicide with uncontrolled descent\n\nThis theory rests on the previous idea that the plane was essentially hijacked by either the pilot or co-pilot and flown into the middle of the ocean. In this scenario however, the uncontrolled descent element would mean that the plane crashed on its own and that there was no one alive at the controls at the time.\n\n4\\. The plane was hijacked by terrorists\n\nOver the years, there has been speculation that the plane [could have been hijacked by terrorists](https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/mar\/15\/flight-mh370-malaysians-convinced-missing-airliner-was-hijacked), although after 9\/11, aircraft cockpits have been strengthened, making it almost impossible for anyone to gain unauthorized entry. It would also have been unlikely that the crew would not have been able to alert air traffic control of a breach, although it remains possible that they may have been completely overpowered. This theory, however, does not address why the plane has never been found, as terrorist elements would have likely had a clear goal when hijacking the plane, such as landing it in a particular territory or deliberately crashing it in a 9\/11-style scenario. Since 2014, this theory has largely been debunked.\n\n5\\. The plane landed safely on an island\n\nThere have been a number of more outlandish theories that the plane managed to land safely on an island or in a country close enough to Malaysia that the fuel on board would have been sufficient to fly there. Some of these [include the plane landing](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/magazine-26609687) at the U.S. military base on the atoll Diego Garcia, in Kazakhstan, in the Taklamakan Desert in China, or on one of the Andaman Islands. While some family members of the passengers on board have [indicated that they hope one of these theories is correct](https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/3\/7\/mh370-went-missing-10-years-ago-an-indonesian-family-hopes-it-can-be-found) and their loved ones are still alive, all of the above theories are extremely implausible.\n\n6\\. The plane was hijacked by aliens, sucked into a black hole, or shot down\n\nAs the search has continued and remained fruitless for over a decade, it is understandable that the theories surrounding the fate of MH370 have become more and more extreme in an attempt to understand the impossible. However, there is no evidence that a rogue state was responsible for shooting down the plane, [or that it disappeared either due to alien involvement](https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2016\/3\/5\/hijackers-aliens-theories-over-flight-mh370-abound) or other extreme scenario. This did not, however, stop [then-CNN anchorman Don Lemon from positing](https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/cnn-black-hole-malaysia-flight-370-theories-144151381.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHK8dQ5WXoY1QacFd-XsUEqvUYwj-dQwGwKwNKUdllaWesJOL9yikcS1jpQnpWApDj-E8n0YjUUDpMxHLNt8yl34v97JWP3_Xyxmo_F7XDSXVc1IzVwQSlv4rMav9NFte77zGAedp2eCXhIKWiNVNX3fxBTueWj04xlof00BWVBd&guccounter=2) that the plane could have been sucked into a black hole, Bermuda Triangle, or suffered a fate similar to the plot of the popular television series “Lost.”\n\n“I know it’s preposterous, but is it preposterous \\[…\\]?” he said at the time.\n\nAuthors\n\n![Aisyah Llewellyn](https:\/\/images.thediplomat.com\/v1\/td-list-xs-1\/2023\/03\/thediplomat_2023-03-23-050713.jpg)\n\n##### Contributing Author\n#### Aisyah Llewellyn\nAisyah Llewellyn is a British writer based in Indonesia and a columnist for The Diplomat.\n\n[View Profile](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/authors\/aisyah-llewellyn\/)\n\nTags\n\n- [ASEAN Beat](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/category\/asean-beat\/)\n- [Society](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/topics\/society\/)\n- [Southeast Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/southeast-asia\/)\n- [Malaysia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/countries\/malaysia\/)\n- [Aviation](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/tag\/aviation\/)\n- [Flight MH370](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/tag\/flight-mh370\/)\n- [Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/tag\/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370\/)\n\n### [Latest Stories](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/category\/blogs\/)\n[![Why Did Wang Yi Go to North Korea? China’s 3 Strategic Calculations](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sizes\/thumbnail\/thediplomat_2026-04-14-022222.png)Why Did Wang Yi Go to North Korea? 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China’s 3 Strategic CalculationsBy Linggong KongChina had three interrelated goals in mind – all linked to the upcoming Trump-Xi summit in May.](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2026\/04\/why-did-wang-yi-go-to-north-korea-chinas-3-strategic-calculations\/)\n\n[![Iran War Tests BRICS \\&\\#8212; And Reveals its Limits](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sizes\/thumbnail\/thediplomat_2026-04-14-002101.jpg)Iran War Tests BRICS — And Reveals its LimitsBy Carlos Frederico Pereira da Silva GamaDespite calls for mediation, the grouping has remained fragmented, highlighting its role as a “club” like the G-7 rather than a forum for collective action.](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2026\/04\/iran-war-tests-brics-and-reveals-its-limits\/)\n\n[![Japan Is America’s Indispensable Ally](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sizes\/thumbnail\/thediplomat_2026-03-20-213715.jpg)Japan Is America’s Indispensable AllyBy Jio KamataTrump, China, and the Iran War make this point even clearer.](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2026\/04\/japan-is-americas-indispensable-ally\/)\n\n[![The Domestic Politics of Cheng Li-wun\\&\\#8217;s China Trip](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sizes\/thumbnail\/thediplomat_2026-04-13-223413.jpg)The Domestic Politics of Cheng Li-wun’s China TripBy Brian HioeCheng's meeting with Xi Jinping was not just about cross-strait dynamics, but about securing her own position within the KMT.](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2026\/04\/the-domestic-politics-of-cheng-li-wuns-china-trip\/)\n\nRegions\n\n- [Central Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/central-asia\/)\n- [East Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/east-asia\/)\n- [Oceania](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/oceania-region\/)\n- [South Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/south-asia\/)\n- [Southeast Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/southeast-asia\/)\n\nTopics\n\n- [Diplomacy](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/topics\/diplomacy\/)\n- 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Use](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/terms-of-use\/)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/privacy-policy\/)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/newsletter\/)\n- [Subscriptions](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/subscriptions\/)\n\nNewsletter\n\n[**Diplomat Brief**  Weekly Newsletter](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/newsletter\/)\n\n© 2026 Diplomat Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.","attrs_readable_markdown":"### [ASEAN Beat](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/category\/asean-beat\/) \\| [Society](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/topics\/society\/) \\| [Southeast Asia](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/regions\/southeast-asia\/)\nThe lack of information about the aircraft’s disappearance in 2014 has led to the emergence of a range of theories, from the plausible to the wildly speculative.\n\n![What Really Happened to Flight MH370?](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sizes\/td-story-s-1\/thediplomat_2025-12-23-093820.jpg)\n\nWritten prayers and messages of hope for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 posted at a bookstore in Malaysia shortly after the aircraft’s disappearance in March 2014.\n\nCredit: [Wikimedia Commons\/مانفی](https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Messages_of_Hope_and_Pray_for_MH370.jpg)\n\nThe seemingly endless search for doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is [set to resume on December 30](https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/mh370-search-for-missing-flight-to-resume-in-december\/a-74992914#:~:text=Malaysia%20said%20deep-sea%20search,will%20restart%20on%20December%2030.&text=The%20search%20for%20the%20missing,transport%20ministry%20said%20on%20Wednesday.), having briefly restarted in March, only to be delayed until the end of the year due to poor weather conditions.\n\nThe missing plane has been the subject of a number of search operations over the years, with the latest hunt undertaken by Ocean Infinity, a U.K.- and U.S.-based search and exploration company working on a “no find, no fee” basis.\n\nYet, more than a decade after the plane went missing, it remains unclear whether Ocean Infinity will succeed where all other search operations have failed – and prompts further speculation about what really happened to the Boeing 777.\n\nTo recap briefly: On March 8, 2014, a plane operated by Malaysia Airlines took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Beijing in China, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, including a Malaysian pilot and co-pilot.\n\nJust 38 minutes after take off, while over the South China Sea and crossing from Malaysian to Vietnamese airspace, air traffic control in Kuala Lumpur signed off and passed the plane to its Vietnamese counterpart with the words “Malaysian three seven zero, contact Ho Chi Minh one two zero decimal nine. Good night.”\n\n“Goodnight Malaysian three seven zero,” came the reply, thought to be from Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, at 1.19 a.m. Malaysia time. At 1.22 a.m., the plane abruptly vanished from both Malaysian and Vietnamese radar screens.\n\nIt was still visible, however, on military radar, and was captured turning sharply left across the Malay Peninsula before moving beyond the range of military radar.\n\nIt is thought that the plane skirted the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and flew out across the Andaman Sea, before turning again into the direction of the Southern Indian Ocean, where it ran out of fuel and plunged into the water – although its exact fate has remained unknown for the past 11 years.\n\nIn the modern age of aviation, even back in 2014, with radar tracking, satellites, military data and other data used to monitor our skies, it has always seemed unfathomable that a plane, particularly a 777 commercial aircraft, could just vanish without a trace.\n\nTo fill the void, a whole host of theories have mushroomed. From the plausible to the wildly speculative, here are six of the most popular.\n\n1\\. A freak accident\n\nOne theory, which was included as [part of a lawsuit](https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/storyline\/missing-jet\/mh370-lawsuit-suggests-electrical-failures-led-crash-n730571) on behalf of some of the families of the passengers aboard MH370, is that a freak accident occurred, which was so catastrophic that it immediately incapacitated the plane and crew, making it impossible for them to save the aircraft or contact air traffic control. However, satellites, military radar and other data showed that the plane appeared to continue flying after it disappeared from air traffic control screens, and changed course several times, likely as the result of someone at the controls.\n\n2\\. Pilot murder-suicide with a controlled descent\n\nOf all the theories swirling around MH370, the notion that one of the pilots took control of the plane and deliberately crashed it into the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean has been one of the most discussed. This theory was deemed particularly noteworthy after [Malaysian police raided pilot Shah’s home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/magazine-31736835) and discovered a home flight simulator which had a recording of the pilot flying a simulated route close to where MH370 may have potentially crashed.\n\nHowever, there has been no hard evidence that either Captain Shah, or his less experienced co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, had any plans or motivation to down the plane deliberately. In this scenario of murder-suicide with controlled descent, the pilot or co-pilot would have been conscious at the time the plane crashed. Experts [have said](https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/storyline\/missing-jet\/mh370-lawsuit-suggests-electrical-failures-led-crash-n730571) that the fact that previous search areas were selected based on the idea that the aircraft crashed on its own, and the plane was not located, make it slightly more plausible that there was a controlled descent.\n\n3\\. Murder-suicide with uncontrolled descent\n\nThis theory rests on the previous idea that the plane was essentially hijacked by either the pilot or co-pilot and flown into the middle of the ocean. In this scenario however, the uncontrolled descent element would mean that the plane crashed on its own and that there was no one alive at the controls at the time.\n\n4\\. The plane was hijacked by terrorists\n\nOver the years, there has been speculation that the plane [could have been hijacked by terrorists](https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/mar\/15\/flight-mh370-malaysians-convinced-missing-airliner-was-hijacked), although after 9\/11, aircraft cockpits have been strengthened, making it almost impossible for anyone to gain unauthorized entry. It would also have been unlikely that the crew would not have been able to alert air traffic control of a breach, although it remains possible that they may have been completely overpowered. This theory, however, does not address why the plane has never been found, as terrorist elements would have likely had a clear goal when hijacking the plane, such as landing it in a particular territory or deliberately crashing it in a 9\/11-style scenario. Since 2014, this theory has largely been debunked.\n\n5\\. The plane landed safely on an island\n\nThere have been a number of more outlandish theories that the plane managed to land safely on an island or in a country close enough to Malaysia that the fuel on board would have been sufficient to fly there. Some of these [include the plane landing](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/magazine-26609687) at the U.S. military base on the atoll Diego Garcia, in Kazakhstan, in the Taklamakan Desert in China, or on one of the Andaman Islands. While some family members of the passengers on board have [indicated that they hope one of these theories is correct](https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/3\/7\/mh370-went-missing-10-years-ago-an-indonesian-family-hopes-it-can-be-found) and their loved ones are still alive, all of the above theories are extremely implausible.\n\n6\\. The plane was hijacked by aliens, sucked into a black hole, or shot down\n\nAs the search has continued and remained fruitless for over a decade, it is understandable that the theories surrounding the fate of MH370 have become more and more extreme in an attempt to understand the impossible. However, there is no evidence that a rogue state was responsible for shooting down the plane, [or that it disappeared either due to alien involvement](https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2016\/3\/5\/hijackers-aliens-theories-over-flight-mh370-abound) or other extreme scenario. This did not, however, stop [then-CNN anchorman Don Lemon from positing](https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/cnn-black-hole-malaysia-flight-370-theories-144151381.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHK8dQ5WXoY1QacFd-XsUEqvUYwj-dQwGwKwNKUdllaWesJOL9yikcS1jpQnpWApDj-E8n0YjUUDpMxHLNt8yl34v97JWP3_Xyxmo_F7XDSXVc1IzVwQSlv4rMav9NFte77zGAedp2eCXhIKWiNVNX3fxBTueWj04xlof00BWVBd&guccounter=2) that the plane could have been sucked into a black hole, Bermuda Triangle, or suffered a fate similar to the plot of the popular television series “Lost.”\n\n“I know it’s preposterous, but is it preposterous \\[…\\]?” he said at the time.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	ASEAN Beat \| Society \| Southeast Asia The lack of information about the aircraft’s disappearance in 2014 has led to the emergence of a range of theories, from the plausible to the wildly speculative. Written prayers and messages of hope for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 posted at a bookstore in Malaysia shortly after the aircraft’s disappearance in March 2014. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/مانفی The seemingly endless search for doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is set to resume on December 30 , having briefly restarted in March, only to be delayed until the end of the year due to poor weather conditions. The missing plane has been the subject of a number of search operations over the years, with the latest hunt undertaken by Ocean Infinity, a U.K.- and U.S.-based search and exploration company working on a “no find, no fee” basis. Yet, more than a decade after the plane went missing, it remains unclear whether Ocean Infinity will succeed where all other search operations have failed – and prompts further speculation about what really happened to the Boeing 777. To recap briefly: On March 8, 2014, a plane operated by Malaysia Airlines took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Beijing in China, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, including a Malaysian pilot and co-pilot. Just 38 minutes after take off, while over the South China Sea and crossing from Malaysian to Vietnamese airspace, air traffic control in Kuala Lumpur signed off and passed the plane to its Vietnamese counterpart with the words “Malaysian three seven zero, contact Ho Chi Minh one two zero decimal nine. Good night.” “Goodnight Malaysian three seven zero,” came the reply, thought to be from Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, at 1.19 a.m. Malaysia time. At 1.22 a.m., the plane abruptly vanished from both Malaysian and Vietnamese radar screens. It was still visible, however, on military radar, and was captured turning sharply left across the Malay Peninsula before moving beyond the range of military radar. It is thought that the plane skirted the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and flew out across the Andaman Sea, before turning again into the direction of the Southern Indian Ocean, where it ran out of fuel and plunged into the water – although its exact fate has remained unknown for the past 11 years. In the modern age of aviation, even back in 2014, with radar tracking, satellites, military data and other data used to monitor our skies, it has always seemed unfathomable that a plane, particularly a 777 commercial aircraft, could just vanish without a trace. To fill the void, a whole host of theories have mushroomed. From the plausible to the wildly speculative, here are six of the most popular. 1. A freak accident One theory, which was included as part of a lawsuit on behalf of some of the families of the passengers aboard MH370, is that a freak accident occurred, which was so catastrophic that it immediately incapacitated the plane and crew, making it impossible for them to save the aircraft or contact air traffic control. However, satellites, military radar and other data showed that the plane appeared to continue flying after it disappeared from air traffic control screens, and changed course several times, likely as the result of someone at the controls. 2. Pilot murder-suicide with a controlled descent Of all the theories swirling around MH370, the notion that one of the pilots took control of the plane and deliberately crashed it into the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean has been one of the most discussed. This theory was deemed particularly noteworthy after Malaysian police raided pilot Shah’s home and discovered a home flight simulator which had a recording of the pilot flying a simulated route close to where MH370 may have potentially crashed. However, there has been no hard evidence that either Captain Shah, or his less experienced co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, had any plans or motivation to down the plane deliberately. In this scenario of murder-suicide with controlled descent, the pilot or co-pilot would have been conscious at the time the plane crashed. Experts have said that the fact that previous search areas were selected based on the idea that the aircraft crashed on its own, and the plane was not located, make it slightly more plausible that there was a controlled descent. 3. Murder-suicide with uncontrolled descent This theory rests on the previous idea that the plane was essentially hijacked by either the pilot or co-pilot and flown into the middle of the ocean. In this scenario however, the uncontrolled descent element would mean that the plane crashed on its own and that there was no one alive at the controls at the time. 4. The plane was hijacked by terrorists Over the years, there has been speculation that the plane could have been hijacked by terrorists , although after 9/11, aircraft cockpits have been strengthened, making it almost impossible for anyone to gain unauthorized entry. It would also have been unlikely that the crew would not have been able to alert air traffic control of a breach, although it remains possible that they may have been completely overpowered. This theory, however, does not address why the plane has never been found, as terrorist elements would have likely had a clear goal when hijacking the plane, such as landing it in a particular territory or deliberately crashing it in a 9/11-style scenario. Since 2014, this theory has largely been debunked. 5. The plane landed safely on an island There have been a number of more outlandish theories that the plane managed to land safely on an island or in a country close enough to Malaysia that the fuel on board would have been sufficient to fly there. Some of these include the plane landing at the U.S. military base on the atoll Diego Garcia, in Kazakhstan, in the Taklamakan Desert in China, or on one of the Andaman Islands. While some family members of the passengers on board have indicated that they hope one of these theories is correct and their loved ones are still alive, all of the above theories are extremely implausible. 6. The plane was hijacked by aliens, sucked into a black hole, or shot down As the search has continued and remained fruitless for over a decade, it is understandable that the theories surrounding the fate of MH370 have become more and more extreme in an attempt to understand the impossible. However, there is no evidence that a rogue state was responsible for shooting down the plane, or that it disappeared either due to alien involvement or other extreme scenario. This did not, however, stop then-CNN anchorman Don Lemon from positing that the plane could have been sucked into a black hole, Bermuda Triangle, or suffered a fate similar to the plot of the popular television series “Lost.” “I know it’s preposterous, but is it preposterous […]?” he said at the time.
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The lack of information about the aircraft’s disappearance in 2014 has led to the emergence of a range of theories, from the plausible to the wildly speculative. ![Aisyah Llewellyn](https://images.thediplomat.com/v1/td-list-xs-1/2023/03/thediplomat_2023-03-23-050713.jpg) By [Aisyah Llewellyn](https://thediplomat.com/authors/aisyah-llewellyn/) December 23, 2025 ![What Really Happened to Flight MH370?](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/sizes/td-story-s-1/thediplomat_2025-12-23-093820.jpg) Written prayers and messages of hope for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 posted at a bookstore in Malaysia shortly after the aircraft’s disappearance in March 2014. Credit: [Wikimedia Commons/مانفی](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Messages_of_Hope_and_Pray_for_MH370.jpg) The seemingly endless search for doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is [set to resume on December 30](https://www.dw.com/en/mh370-search-for-missing-flight-to-resume-in-december/a-74992914#:~:text=Malaysia%20said%20deep-sea%20search,will%20restart%20on%20December%2030.&text=The%20search%20for%20the%20missing,transport%20ministry%20said%20on%20Wednesday.), having briefly restarted in March, only to be delayed until the end of the year due to poor weather conditions. The missing plane has been the subject of a number of search operations over the years, with the latest hunt undertaken by Ocean Infinity, a U.K.- and U.S.-based search and exploration company working on a “no find, no fee” basis. Yet, more than a decade after the plane went missing, it remains unclear whether Ocean Infinity will succeed where all other search operations have failed – and prompts further speculation about what really happened to the Boeing 777. To recap briefly: On March 8, 2014, a plane operated by Malaysia Airlines took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Beijing in China, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, including a Malaysian pilot and co-pilot. Just 38 minutes after take off, while over the South China Sea and crossing from Malaysian to Vietnamese airspace, air traffic control in Kuala Lumpur signed off and passed the plane to its Vietnamese counterpart with the words “Malaysian three seven zero, contact Ho Chi Minh one two zero decimal nine. Good night.” “Goodnight Malaysian three seven zero,” came the reply, thought to be from Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, at 1.19 a.m. Malaysia time. At 1.22 a.m., the plane abruptly vanished from both Malaysian and Vietnamese radar screens. It was still visible, however, on military radar, and was captured turning sharply left across the Malay Peninsula before moving beyond the range of military radar. It is thought that the plane skirted the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and flew out across the Andaman Sea, before turning again into the direction of the Southern Indian Ocean, where it ran out of fuel and plunged into the water – although its exact fate has remained unknown for the past 11 years. In the modern age of aviation, even back in 2014, with radar tracking, satellites, military data and other data used to monitor our skies, it has always seemed unfathomable that a plane, particularly a 777 commercial aircraft, could just vanish without a trace. To fill the void, a whole host of theories have mushroomed. From the plausible to the wildly speculative, here are six of the most popular. 1\. A freak accident One theory, which was included as [part of a lawsuit](https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/mh370-lawsuit-suggests-electrical-failures-led-crash-n730571) on behalf of some of the families of the passengers aboard MH370, is that a freak accident occurred, which was so catastrophic that it immediately incapacitated the plane and crew, making it impossible for them to save the aircraft or contact air traffic control. However, satellites, military radar and other data showed that the plane appeared to continue flying after it disappeared from air traffic control screens, and changed course several times, likely as the result of someone at the controls. 2\. Pilot murder-suicide with a controlled descent Of all the theories swirling around MH370, the notion that one of the pilots took control of the plane and deliberately crashed it into the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean has been one of the most discussed. This theory was deemed particularly noteworthy after [Malaysian police raided pilot Shah’s home](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31736835) and discovered a home flight simulator which had a recording of the pilot flying a simulated route close to where MH370 may have potentially crashed. However, there has been no hard evidence that either Captain Shah, or his less experienced co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, had any plans or motivation to down the plane deliberately. In this scenario of murder-suicide with controlled descent, the pilot or co-pilot would have been conscious at the time the plane crashed. Experts [have said](https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/mh370-lawsuit-suggests-electrical-failures-led-crash-n730571) that the fact that previous search areas were selected based on the idea that the aircraft crashed on its own, and the plane was not located, make it slightly more plausible that there was a controlled descent. 3\. Murder-suicide with uncontrolled descent This theory rests on the previous idea that the plane was essentially hijacked by either the pilot or co-pilot and flown into the middle of the ocean. In this scenario however, the uncontrolled descent element would mean that the plane crashed on its own and that there was no one alive at the controls at the time. 4\. The plane was hijacked by terrorists Over the years, there has been speculation that the plane [could have been hijacked by terrorists](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/15/flight-mh370-malaysians-convinced-missing-airliner-was-hijacked), although after 9/11, aircraft cockpits have been strengthened, making it almost impossible for anyone to gain unauthorized entry. It would also have been unlikely that the crew would not have been able to alert air traffic control of a breach, although it remains possible that they may have been completely overpowered. This theory, however, does not address why the plane has never been found, as terrorist elements would have likely had a clear goal when hijacking the plane, such as landing it in a particular territory or deliberately crashing it in a 9/11-style scenario. Since 2014, this theory has largely been debunked. 5\. The plane landed safely on an island There have been a number of more outlandish theories that the plane managed to land safely on an island or in a country close enough to Malaysia that the fuel on board would have been sufficient to fly there. Some of these [include the plane landing](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26609687) at the U.S. military base on the atoll Diego Garcia, in Kazakhstan, in the Taklamakan Desert in China, or on one of the Andaman Islands. While some family members of the passengers on board have [indicated that they hope one of these theories is correct](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/7/mh370-went-missing-10-years-ago-an-indonesian-family-hopes-it-can-be-found) and their loved ones are still alive, all of the above theories are extremely implausible. 6\. The plane was hijacked by aliens, sucked into a black hole, or shot down As the search has continued and remained fruitless for over a decade, it is understandable that the theories surrounding the fate of MH370 have become more and more extreme in an attempt to understand the impossible. However, there is no evidence that a rogue state was responsible for shooting down the plane, [or that it disappeared either due to alien involvement](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/3/5/hijackers-aliens-theories-over-flight-mh370-abound) or other extreme scenario. This did not, however, stop [then-CNN anchorman Don Lemon from positing](https://www.yahoo.com/news/cnn-black-hole-malaysia-flight-370-theories-144151381.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHK8dQ5WXoY1QacFd-XsUEqvUYwj-dQwGwKwNKUdllaWesJOL9yikcS1jpQnpWApDj-E8n0YjUUDpMxHLNt8yl34v97JWP3_Xyxmo_F7XDSXVc1IzVwQSlv4rMav9NFte77zGAedp2eCXhIKWiNVNX3fxBTueWj04xlof00BWVBd&guccounter=2) that the plane could have been sucked into a black hole, Bermuda Triangle, or suffered a fate similar to the plot of the popular television series “Lost.” “I know it’s preposterous, but is it preposterous \[…\]?” he said at the time. Authors ![Aisyah Llewellyn](https://images.thediplomat.com/v1/td-list-xs-1/2023/03/thediplomat_2023-03-23-050713.jpg) ##### Contributing Author #### Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn is a British writer based in Indonesia and a columnist for The Diplomat. [View Profile](https://thediplomat.com/authors/aisyah-llewellyn/) Tags - [ASEAN Beat](https://thediplomat.com/category/asean-beat/) - [Society](https://thediplomat.com/topics/society/) - [Southeast Asia](https://thediplomat.com/regions/southeast-asia/) - [Malaysia](https://thediplomat.com/countries/malaysia/) - [Aviation](https://thediplomat.com/tag/aviation/) - [Flight MH370](https://thediplomat.com/tag/flight-mh370/) - [Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370](https://thediplomat.com/tag/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370/) ### [Latest Stories](https://thediplomat.com/category/blogs/) [![Why Did Wang Yi Go to North Korea? China’s 3 Strategic Calculations](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2026-04-14-022222.png)Why Did Wang Yi Go to North Korea? 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Readable Markdown	### [ASEAN Beat](https://thediplomat.com/category/asean-beat/) \\| [Society](https://thediplomat.com/topics/society/) \\| [Southeast Asia](https://thediplomat.com/regions/southeast-asia/) The lack of information about the aircraft’s disappearance in 2014 has led to the emergence of a range of theories, from the plausible to the wildly speculative. ![What Really Happened to Flight MH370?](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/sizes/td-story-s-1/thediplomat_2025-12-23-093820.jpg) Written prayers and messages of hope for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 posted at a bookstore in Malaysia shortly after the aircraft’s disappearance in March 2014. Credit: [Wikimedia Commons/مانفی](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Messages_of_Hope_and_Pray_for_MH370.jpg) The seemingly endless search for doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is [set to resume on December 30](https://www.dw.com/en/mh370-search-for-missing-flight-to-resume-in-december/a-74992914#:~:text=Malaysia%20said%20deep-sea%20search,will%20restart%20on%20December%2030.&text=The%20search%20for%20the%20missing,transport%20ministry%20said%20on%20Wednesday.), having briefly restarted in March, only to be delayed until the end of the year due to poor weather conditions. The missing plane has been the subject of a number of search operations over the years, with the latest hunt undertaken by Ocean Infinity, a U.K.- and U.S.-based search and exploration company working on a “no find, no fee” basis. Yet, more than a decade after the plane went missing, it remains unclear whether Ocean Infinity will succeed where all other search operations have failed – and prompts further speculation about what really happened to the Boeing 777. To recap briefly: On March 8, 2014, a plane operated by Malaysia Airlines took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Beijing in China, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, including a Malaysian pilot and co-pilot. Just 38 minutes after take off, while over the South China Sea and crossing from Malaysian to Vietnamese airspace, air traffic control in Kuala Lumpur signed off and passed the plane to its Vietnamese counterpart with the words “Malaysian three seven zero, contact Ho Chi Minh one two zero decimal nine. Good night.” “Goodnight Malaysian three seven zero,” came the reply, thought to be from Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, at 1.19 a.m. Malaysia time. At 1.22 a.m., the plane abruptly vanished from both Malaysian and Vietnamese radar screens. It was still visible, however, on military radar, and was captured turning sharply left across the Malay Peninsula before moving beyond the range of military radar. It is thought that the plane skirted the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and flew out across the Andaman Sea, before turning again into the direction of the Southern Indian Ocean, where it ran out of fuel and plunged into the water – although its exact fate has remained unknown for the past 11 years. In the modern age of aviation, even back in 2014, with radar tracking, satellites, military data and other data used to monitor our skies, it has always seemed unfathomable that a plane, particularly a 777 commercial aircraft, could just vanish without a trace. To fill the void, a whole host of theories have mushroomed. From the plausible to the wildly speculative, here are six of the most popular. 1\. A freak accident One theory, which was included as [part of a lawsuit](https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/mh370-lawsuit-suggests-electrical-failures-led-crash-n730571) on behalf of some of the families of the passengers aboard MH370, is that a freak accident occurred, which was so catastrophic that it immediately incapacitated the plane and crew, making it impossible for them to save the aircraft or contact air traffic control. However, satellites, military radar and other data showed that the plane appeared to continue flying after it disappeared from air traffic control screens, and changed course several times, likely as the result of someone at the controls. 2\. Pilot murder-suicide with a controlled descent Of all the theories swirling around MH370, the notion that one of the pilots took control of the plane and deliberately crashed it into the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean has been one of the most discussed. This theory was deemed particularly noteworthy after [Malaysian police raided pilot Shah’s home](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31736835) and discovered a home flight simulator which had a recording of the pilot flying a simulated route close to where MH370 may have potentially crashed. However, there has been no hard evidence that either Captain Shah, or his less experienced co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, had any plans or motivation to down the plane deliberately. In this scenario of murder-suicide with controlled descent, the pilot or co-pilot would have been conscious at the time the plane crashed. Experts [have said](https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/mh370-lawsuit-suggests-electrical-failures-led-crash-n730571) that the fact that previous search areas were selected based on the idea that the aircraft crashed on its own, and the plane was not located, make it slightly more plausible that there was a controlled descent. 3\. Murder-suicide with uncontrolled descent This theory rests on the previous idea that the plane was essentially hijacked by either the pilot or co-pilot and flown into the middle of the ocean. In this scenario however, the uncontrolled descent element would mean that the plane crashed on its own and that there was no one alive at the controls at the time. 4\. The plane was hijacked by terrorists Over the years, there has been speculation that the plane [could have been hijacked by terrorists](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/15/flight-mh370-malaysians-convinced-missing-airliner-was-hijacked), although after 9/11, aircraft cockpits have been strengthened, making it almost impossible for anyone to gain unauthorized entry. It would also have been unlikely that the crew would not have been able to alert air traffic control of a breach, although it remains possible that they may have been completely overpowered. This theory, however, does not address why the plane has never been found, as terrorist elements would have likely had a clear goal when hijacking the plane, such as landing it in a particular territory or deliberately crashing it in a 9/11-style scenario. Since 2014, this theory has largely been debunked. 5\. The plane landed safely on an island There have been a number of more outlandish theories that the plane managed to land safely on an island or in a country close enough to Malaysia that the fuel on board would have been sufficient to fly there. Some of these [include the plane landing](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26609687) at the U.S. military base on the atoll Diego Garcia, in Kazakhstan, in the Taklamakan Desert in China, or on one of the Andaman Islands. While some family members of the passengers on board have [indicated that they hope one of these theories is correct](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/7/mh370-went-missing-10-years-ago-an-indonesian-family-hopes-it-can-be-found) and their loved ones are still alive, all of the above theories are extremely implausible. 6\. The plane was hijacked by aliens, sucked into a black hole, or shot down As the search has continued and remained fruitless for over a decade, it is understandable that the theories surrounding the fate of MH370 have become more and more extreme in an attempt to understand the impossible. However, there is no evidence that a rogue state was responsible for shooting down the plane, [or that it disappeared either due to alien involvement](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/3/5/hijackers-aliens-theories-over-flight-mh370-abound) or other extreme scenario. This did not, however, stop [then-CNN anchorman Don Lemon from positing](https://www.yahoo.com/news/cnn-black-hole-malaysia-flight-370-theories-144151381.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHK8dQ5WXoY1QacFd-XsUEqvUYwj-dQwGwKwNKUdllaWesJOL9yikcS1jpQnpWApDj-E8n0YjUUDpMxHLNt8yl34v97JWP3_Xyxmo_F7XDSXVc1IzVwQSlv4rMav9NFte77zGAedp2eCXhIKWiNVNX3fxBTueWj04xlof00BWVBd&guccounter=2) that the plane could have been sucked into a black hole, Bermuda Triangle, or suffered a fate similar to the plot of the popular television series “Lost.” “I know it’s preposterous, but is it preposterous \[…\]?” he said at the time.
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