🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 139 (from laksa147)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa139.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://theweek.com/world-news/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://theweek.com/world-news/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery","crawl_time":1776599745,"first_indexed_time":1771746895,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,theweek!\/world-news\/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery s443","src_root_hash":"5471547289642633339","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"The mystery of flight MH370 | The Week","meta_descriptions":["In 2014, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without trace. Twelve years on, a new operation is under way to find the doomed airliner"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"At 12.41am local time on 8 March, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 set out from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. About 40 minutes after its departure, however, nearly all electronic communications from the Boeing 777 stopped: it disappeared from air traffic control radars; and by 2.22am, it had dropped off military radars, too. Half an hour later, the airline confirmed that it had lost contact with MH370.\nIn the days that followed, a huge Malaysian, and later Australian-led, search operation was launched; but it soon became clear that all 239 people on board – 227 passengers and 12 crew, including 154 people from China and 50 from Malaysia – were likely to have died. More than a decade later,\nthe fate of MH370\nand its passengers is unresolved.\nWhat do we know about where it went?\nFor more than seven hours after it dropped off flight radars, MH370 sent “handshakes”, routine communications with a satellite network, confirming that it was still flying – meaning the plane had not suffered some sudden catastrophic event. Data from Malaysian military radar suggests that it made a sharp left turn soon after entering Vietnamese airspace; it then headed southwest, back over the Malayan peninsula, before flying northwest up the Strait of Malacca between\nIndonesia\nand Malaysia. There, it was lost beyond radar range.\nArticle continues below\nThe Week\nEscape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.\nSUBSCRIBE & SAVE\nSign up for The Week's Free Newsletters\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\nLatest Videos From The Week\nInitially, the search operation centred on the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca; but investigators later established (using satellite data, and a process of elimination) that MH370 turned sharply again and flew on for hours, to the southern Indian Ocean. There it descended steeply into the sea, presumably because it ran out of fuel. Underwater searches of that area have since covered more than 50,000 square miles of one of the world’s least-explored seafloors.\nWhat have these searches found?\nThe official search involved nearly 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 26 nations, and lasted until January 2017. A private US company, Ocean Infinity, later resumed the search for five months in early 2018, working for the Malaysian government on a no-find, no-fee basis, and using underwater drones to scan the seabed. Nothing was found.\nThe first physical proof that MH370 had indeed crashed into the Indian Ocean had turned up in July 2015, on the French island of Réunion – beach cleaners found a “\nflaperon\n”, a large wing component, which was later confirmed to be from the airliner. Another flap from its right wing was found on Pemba Island off Tanzania; Other debris almost certainly from the plane was found from Mauritius to Madagascar. But nobody has yet managed to track down the debris to its point of origin, nor have they found the plane’s black boxes.\nSo what happened?\nThere are scores of theories, some plausible, many preposterous. In the absence of any distress call, hijack seems unlikely. Even so, it has been suggested that the plane was hijacked and flown to\nRussia\n, or the\nUS airbase on the island of Diego Garcia\n; others have said it could have been shot down. Less fanciful theories include a mass hypoxia event – in which everyone was knocked out owing to oxygen deprivation caused by a sudden cabin depressurisation, while the plane continued flying on autopilot until it ran out of fuel.\nA free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com\nThe consensus among experts, however, is that the plane’s disappearance was probably the result of pilot suicide: either by the pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, or First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid.\nWhat evidence supports the theory?\nThe flight path, with its sharp turns, in no way resembles an autopilot flight plan; it is consistent with manual control. The turning off of all communications is more likely to have been a deliberate act than a total system failure. The circumstances suggest control was seized from within the cockpit, sometime between 1.01am and 1.21am, when the plane disappeared from radar. By this time – barring the unlikely event of two pilots acting in concert – one of the pilots must have either been dead, incapacitated or locked out of the cockpit.\nExperts hypothesise that MH370 was deliberately and rapidly depressurised, rendering passengers dead within minutes. Passenger oxygen masks provide 15 minutes of oxygen at best; pilots have access to several hours’ worth. This would have allowed a pilot to keep flying for hours, without disturbances.\nDo we know which pilot might have been to blame?\nNo. However, an FBI investigation discovered that Captain Shah had practised flying a very similar southerly path over the Indian Ocean using a\nMicrosoft flight simulator\n; he had then deleted the record. The Malaysian police investigation presented him as a respectable family man, but it was widely deemed inadequate and designed to minimise embarrassment. Shah was described by friends as sad and lonely: his wife had recently moved out. By contrast, Hamid, the first officer, was widely seen as an optimistic person, with no history of mental health problems.\nWho is leading the new search?\nIt is again being conducted by Ocean Infinity, which will collect a £56 million reward from Malaysia if it finds the plane, but nothing if it fails. The seabed surveying company will target a 5,800 square mile area it believes is most likely to contain the plane’s wreckage. Drones are using sonar, laser, optic and echo sound technology to look for debris on the ocean floor at depths of up to 6,000 metres.\nBut the precise crash zone is impossible to pinpoint from satellite data. And even if the debris, and the black boxes, are found, aviation experts will only learn more about technical data from the flight. The cockpit voice recorder is on a self-erasing two-hour loop, so – unless a pilot chose to (and was able to) provide some explanation at the end of the flight – it may contain little more than the sound of alarms blaring on the plane’s final descent.","attrs_markdown":"![](https:\/\/sb.scorecardresearch.com\/p\/?c1=2&c2=10055482&cv=4.4.0&cj=1)\n\n[![The Week](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/qsgislpohy1687441729.svg) The Week](https:\/\/theweek.com\/)\n\nUS Edition\n\n![flag of US](https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/theweek\/media\/shared\/img\/flags\/nosize\/US.svg)\n\n[![flag of US](https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/theweek\/media\/shared\/img\/flags\/nosize\/US.svg) US](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery)\n\n[![flag of UK](https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/theweek\/media\/shared\/img\/flags\/nosize\/GB.svg) UK](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery)\n\n[![https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg) SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Less than \\$3 per week](https:\/\/subscribe.theweek.com\/servlet\/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-header-block)\n\n×\n\nSign in\n\n- View Profile\n- Sign out\n\n- [The Explainer](https:\/\/theweek.com\/the-explainer)\n- [The Week Recommends](https:\/\/theweek.com\/the-week-recommends)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/theweek.com\/newsletters)\n- [Cartoons](https:\/\/theweek.com\/cartoons)\n- [From the Magazine](https:\/\/usmagazine.theweek.com\/t\/storefront\/storefront)\n- More\n  - [The Week Junior](https:\/\/theweekjunior.com\/?utm_source=theweek.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=theweekus_menu_link)\n  - [Student Offers](https:\/\/subscribe.theweek.com\/pubs\/W0\/TWE\/studentbeans_promo.jsp?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=285040)\n  - [Politics](https:\/\/theweek.com\/politics)\n  - [World News](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/world-news)\n  - [Business](https:\/\/theweek.com\/business)\n  - [Health](https:\/\/theweek.com\/health)\n  - [Science](https:\/\/theweek.com\/science)\n  - [Food & Drink](https:\/\/theweek.com\/culture-life\/food-drink)\n  - [Travel](https:\/\/theweek.com\/culture-life\/travel)\n  - [Culture](https:\/\/theweek.com\/culture-life)\n  - [History](https:\/\/theweek.com\/history)\n  - [Personal Finance](https:\/\/theweek.com\/personal-finance)\n  - [Puzzles](https:\/\/theweek.com\/puzzles)\n  - [Photos](https:\/\/theweek.com\/photos)\n  - [The Blend](https:\/\/theblendjournal.com\/)\n  - [All Categories](https:\/\/theweek.com\/digest\/round-up\/all-categories)\n\n[Newsletter sign up Newsletter](https:\/\/theweek.com\/newsletters)\n\nDon't miss these\n\n[![Photo composite illustration of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump alongside tanks, missiles, jets, helicopters and explosions](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/wXcmZrvPG6GdikuGSxXwKB.jpg) World News Are we heading for World War Three?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/92967\/are-we-heading-towards-world-war-3 \"Are we heading for World War Three?\")\n\n[![A United Airlines flight passes a fuel truck at Vancouver International Airport. ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dCCUQnhEGx6SxoNo2QVMjH.jpg) Transport How airlines are reacting to surging oil prices](https:\/\/theweek.com\/transport\/how-airlines-reacting-surging-oil-prices-higher-luggage-fees \"How airlines are reacting to surging oil prices\")\n\n[![Illustration of hooded figures in front of a pyramid, Eye of Providence symbol and a pair of grasping hands](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/McTW6GdFUczuKCweiriGLi.jpg) History The Illuminati: what is it, who are its members, and what do they believe?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/62399\/what-is-the-illuminati-and-what-does-it-control \"The Illuminati: what is it, who are its members, and what do they believe?\")\n\n[![Abstract digital human face](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DGGEYYeftbA2eNSamPX6uN.jpg) Personal Finance Satoshi Nakamoto: the mystery behind the creator of Bitcoin](https:\/\/theweek.com\/personal-finance\/satoshi-nakamoto-the-mystery-behind-the-creator-of-bitcoin \"Satoshi Nakamoto: the mystery behind the creator of Bitcoin\")\n\n[![Collage of scenes from the Russian invasion of Ukraine](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DrMeDqqNSNnpJuJoY8RV79.jpg) Defence Which side is winning the war: Russia or Ukraine?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/news\/world-news\/europe\/961821\/who-is-winning-the-war-in-ukraine \"Which side is winning the war: Russia or Ukraine?\")\n\n[![Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walk by photographers and spectators taking pictures with smartphones on a visit to the Royal Children\\&\\#039;s Hospital in Melbourne](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/gZzdQMNMQsVpS4W96RHE8c.jpg) Royals Harry and Meghan’s non-royal tour of Australia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/royals\/harry-and-meghan-tour-australia \"Harry and Meghan’s non-royal tour of Australia\")\n\n[![Photo composite of bombing in Gaza, Vladimir Putin, Chinese soldiers, nuclear explosion and a globe](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/6cLEPuSdDQwKKdu8YzsqpJ.jpg) Defence How would we know if World War Three had started?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/defence\/how-would-we-know-if-world-war-three-had-started \"How would we know if World War Three had started?\")\n\n[![Illustrative collage of a vintage map of the sky with sperm swimming through it](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4U7JnedSbrGxhiHwiu8D9g.jpg) Science Human sperm gets lost in space](https:\/\/theweek.com\/science\/human-sperm-lost-in-space \"Human sperm gets lost in space\")\n\n[![Abandoned computers and chairs inside a scam centre on the site of a former casino on the Cambodian border with Thailand](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Q8JHTgD6hDkbxp2wYUcCC9.jpg) Crime Pig-butchering: Southeast Asia’s scam hubs](https:\/\/theweek.com\/crime\/pig-butchering-scams-china-southeast-asias \"Pig-butchering: Southeast Asia’s scam hubs\")\n\n[![Floral tributes for victims of the 2024 Southport attacks leaning against a wall](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/2GgDcoxd2KkFnirJdWVnwF.jpg) Crime Why wasn’t the Southport killer stopped?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/crime\/southport-attacks-inquiry-axel-rudakubana \"Why wasn’t the Southport killer stopped?\")\n\n[![Artemis](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/AHPutgTJucHFDJVpTuU99Q.jpg) Science Artemis II and the value of human space travel](https:\/\/theweek.com\/science\/artemis-ii-and-the-value-of-human-space-travel \"Artemis II and the value of human space travel\")\n\n[![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) World News Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/air-force-colonel-rescued-iranian-missile \"Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation\")\n\n[![Edd Hedges on stage with a microphone](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xh3zj3LmSUFSc2DNyKN9TV.png) Culture & Life The best true crime podcasts to binge now](https:\/\/theweek.com\/arts-life\/culture\/955048\/best-true-crime-podcasts \"The best true crime podcasts to binge now \")\n\n[![Keir Starmer talks to a group of police officers](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qooiG9wFYdxtqq27waq4cX.jpg) Crime What are grooming gangs? The UK scandal, explained](https:\/\/theweek.com\/crime\/the-grooming-gangs-scandal-explained \"What are grooming gangs? The UK scandal, explained\")\n\n[![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) World News Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/iran-us-airmen-rescue \"Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue \")\n\n1. [Home](https:\/\/theweek.com\/)\n2. [World News](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/world-news)\n\n[the explainer](https:\/\/theweek.com\/the-explainer)\n# The mystery of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370\nIn 2014, the passenger plane vanished without trace. Twelve years on, a new operation is under way to find the wreckage of the doomed airliner\n\nBy [The Week UK](https:\/\/theweek.com\/author\/the-week-uk)\n\npublished\n\nFebruary 22, 2026\n\n![Malaysia Airlines MH370](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/A3EvLgRpGaByDXNcvWh3eE.jpg)\n\nThe first physical proof that MH370 had crashed into the Indian Ocean had turned up in July 2015, on the French island of Réunion\n\n(Image credit: Pedro Pardo \/ AFP \/ Getty Images)\n\nShare\n\n- Copy link\n- [Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery)\n- [X](https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=The+mystery+of+Malaysia+Airlines+flight+MH370&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery)\n- [Linkedin](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery&title=The+mystery+of+Malaysia+Airlines+flight+MH370&source=theweek.com)\n- [Whatsapp](whatsapp:\/\/send?text=The+mystery+of+Malaysia+Airlines+flight+MH370+https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery?fwa)\n- [Pinterest](https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery&media=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2FA3EvLgRpGaByDXNcvWh3eE.jpg)\n\nShare this article\n\nJoin the conversation\n\n[Follow us](https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=theweek.com)\n\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n\nNewsletter\n\nSign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox\n\nA free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com\n\n***\nBy signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/terms-conditions\\\/)  and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/privacy-policy\\\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time.\n\nYou are now subscribed\n\nYour newsletter sign-up was successful\n\n***\nAn account already exists for this email address, please log in.\n\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n\nAt 12.41am local time on 8 March, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 set out from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. About 40 minutes after its departure, however, nearly all electronic communications from the Boeing 777 stopped: it disappeared from air traffic control radars; and by 2.22am, it had dropped off military radars, too. Half an hour later, the airline confirmed that it had lost contact with MH370.\n\nIn the days that followed, a huge Malaysian, and later Australian-led, search operation was launched; but it soon became clear that all 239 people on board – 227 passengers and 12 crew, including 154 people from China and 50 from Malaysia – were likely to have died. More than a decade later, [the fate of MH370](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/will-the-mystery-of-mh370-be-solved) and its passengers is unresolved.\n\n## What do we know about where it went?\nFor more than seven hours after it dropped off flight radars, MH370 sent “handshakes”, routine communications with a satellite network, confirming that it was still flying – meaning the plane had not suffered some sudden catastrophic event. Data from Malaysian military radar suggests that it made a sharp left turn soon after entering Vietnamese airspace; it then headed southwest, back over the Malayan peninsula, before flying northwest up the Strait of Malacca between [Indonesia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/indonesia) and Malaysia. There, it was lost beyond radar range.\n\nArticle continues below\n\nYou may like\n\n- [![Airplane Iran](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/pYC8QpBewps42wfQhXavAL.jpg) How the Iran war is affecting airspaces](https:\/\/theweek.com\/transport\/iran-war-affecting-airspaces-emirates-gulf)\n- [![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/air-force-colonel-rescued-iranian-missile)\n- [![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/iran-us-airmen-rescue)\n\n## The Week\nEscape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.\n\n[SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https:\/\/subscribe.theweek.com\/servlet\/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article)\n\n![https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg)\n\n## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\n\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\n\n[Sign up](https:\/\/theweek.com\/newsletters)\n\nLatest Videos From The Week\n\nInitially, the search operation centred on the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca; but investigators later established (using satellite data, and a process of elimination) that MH370 turned sharply again and flew on for hours, to the southern Indian Ocean. There it descended steeply into the sea, presumably because it ran out of fuel. Underwater searches of that area have since covered more than 50,000 square miles of one of the world’s least-explored seafloors.\n\n## What have these searches found?\nThe official search involved nearly 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 26 nations, and lasted until January 2017. A private US company, Ocean Infinity, later resumed the search for five months in early 2018, working for the Malaysian government on a no-find, no-fee basis, and using underwater drones to scan the seabed. Nothing was found.\n\nThe first physical proof that MH370 had indeed crashed into the Indian Ocean had turned up in July 2015, on the French island of Réunion – beach cleaners found a “[flaperon](https:\/\/theweek.com\/speedreads\/609825\/experts-believe-may-have-found-another-piece-missing-flight-mh370)”, a large wing component, which was later confirmed to be from the airliner. Another flap from its right wing was found on Pemba Island off Tanzania; Other debris almost certainly from the plane was found from Mauritius to Madagascar. But nobody has yet managed to track down the debris to its point of origin, nor have they found the plane’s black boxes.\n\n## So what happened?\nThere are scores of theories, some plausible, many preposterous. In the absence of any distress call, hijack seems unlikely. Even so, it has been suggested that the plane was hijacked and flown to [Russia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/russia), or the [US airbase on the island of Diego Garcia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/politics\/uk-mauritius-chagos-diego-garcia-base); others have said it could have been shot down. Less fanciful theories include a mass hypoxia event – in which everyone was knocked out owing to oxygen deprivation caused by a sudden cabin depressurisation, while the plane continued flying on autopilot until it ran out of fuel.\n\nSign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox\n\nA free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com\n\nBy signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/terms-conditions\\\/)  and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/privacy-policy\\\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time.\n\nThe consensus among experts, however, is that the plane’s disappearance was probably the result of pilot suicide: either by the pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, or First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid.\n\n## What evidence supports the theory?\nThe flight path, with its sharp turns, in no way resembles an autopilot flight plan; it is consistent with manual control. The turning off of all communications is more likely to have been a deliberate act than a total system failure. The circumstances suggest control was seized from within the cockpit, sometime between 1.01am and 1.21am, when the plane disappeared from radar. By this time – barring the unlikely event of two pilots acting in concert – one of the pilots must have either been dead, incapacitated or locked out of the cockpit.\n\nExperts hypothesise that MH370 was deliberately and rapidly depressurised, rendering passengers dead within minutes. Passenger oxygen masks provide 15 minutes of oxygen at best; pilots have access to several hours’ worth. This would have allowed a pilot to keep flying for hours, without disturbances.\n\n## Do we know which pilot might have been to blame?\nNo. However, an FBI investigation discovered that Captain Shah had practised flying a very similar southerly path over the Indian Ocean using a [Microsoft flight simulator](https:\/\/theweek.com\/speedreads\/638222\/mh370-pilot-reportedly-mapped-murdersuicide-flight-path-simulator); he had then deleted the record. The Malaysian police investigation presented him as a respectable family man, but it was widely deemed inadequate and designed to minimise embarrassment. Shah was described by friends as sad and lonely: his wife had recently moved out. By contrast, Hamid, the first officer, was widely seen as an optimistic person, with no history of mental health problems.\n\n## Who is leading the new search?\nIt is again being conducted by Ocean Infinity, which will collect a £56 million reward from Malaysia if it finds the plane, but nothing if it fails. The seabed surveying company will target a 5,800 square mile area it believes is most likely to contain the plane’s wreckage. Drones are using sonar, laser, optic and echo sound technology to look for debris on the ocean floor at depths of up to 6,000 metres.\n\nBut the precise crash zone is impossible to pinpoint from satellite data. And even if the debris, and the black boxes, are found, aviation experts will only learn more about technical data from the flight. The cockpit voice recorder is on a self-erasing two-hour loop, so – unless a pilot chose to (and was able to) provide some explanation at the end of the flight – it may contain little more than the sound of alarms blaring on the plane’s final descent.\n\n[The Week UK](https:\/\/theweek.com\/author\/the-week-uk)\n\nSocial Links Navigation\n\nRead more\n\n[![Airplane Iran](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/pYC8QpBewps42wfQhXavAL.jpg) Transport How the Iran war is affecting airspaces](https:\/\/theweek.com\/transport\/iran-war-affecting-airspaces-emirates-gulf \"How the Iran war is affecting airspaces\")\n\n[![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) World News Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/air-force-colonel-rescued-iranian-missile \"Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation\")\n\n[![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) World News Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/iran-us-airmen-rescue \"Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue \")\n\n[![The Marinera oil tanker, previously known as the Bella 1, off Burghead, Scotland](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/GAZkMiZE8tXcmeB2GGAqSP.jpg) World News How oil tankers have been weaponised](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/how-oil-tankers-have-been-weaponised \"How oil tankers have been weaponised \")\n\nLatest in World News\n\n[![Israel and Lebanon hold direct talks at the U.S. State Department](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LAYQZfck3Z4iuPkLqj53x5.jpg) World News Israel and Lebanon hold rare talks as fighting rages](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/israel-lebanon-rare-talks-fighting-war \"Israel and Lebanon hold rare talks as fighting rages\")\n\n[![Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/obWqGgT9F8RuF9Cxo5twDA.jpg) World News Canada’s Carney clinches majority in election trifecta](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/canada-carney-clinches-election-trifecta-majority \"Canada’s Carney clinches majority in election trifecta\")\n\n[![Photo collage of cheetahs wearing tracking collars and a map of central India](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VScoL9Ew9NsvEtHWUdshkN.jpg) World News India’s controversial bid to reintroduce cheetahs](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/india-project-reintroduce-cheetahs \"India’s controversial bid to reintroduce cheetahs \")\n\n[![Vice President JD Vance after Iran peace talks in Pakistan](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hRKoUewkxcFmUNuBmwNBq4.jpg) World News Trump vows Iran naval blockade after talks fail](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/trump-vows-iran-blockade-hormuz-talks \"Trump vows Iran naval blockade after talks fail\")\n\nLatest in The explainer\n\n[![Woman interacting with a holographic screen, selecting an online subscription plan](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ZCFRDNss6udXiSVr83tgiE.jpg) Personal Finance 4 tips to save on your subscriptions](https:\/\/theweek.com\/personal-finance\/save-on-subscriptions \"4 tips to save on your subscriptions\n\n\")\n\n[![UK soldier](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zG5raftTW3n6LR6mXPHpX7.jpg) Defence Why the UK is not ready for war](https:\/\/theweek.com\/defence\/defence-spending-uk-ready-for-war \"Why the UK is not ready for war\")\n\n[![Illustration of a Democrat donkey covered with price stickers and holding a price tag](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/X7RAbjyHPXnEWimJ2gbtMh.jpg) Politics The main issues Democratic candidates will focus on in 2028](https:\/\/theweek.com\/politics\/main-issues-democrat-candidates-2028 \"The main issues Democratic candidates will focus on in 2028\")\n\n[![Close-up on a man paying by credit card at a gas station](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/86MKHENEq2AjXGiBJAmnqg.jpg) Personal Finance Can the right credit card help with rising gas prices?](https:\/\/theweek.com\/personal-finance\/gas-rewards-credit-card-savings \"Can the right credit card help with rising gas prices?\n\n\")\n\n- [About Us](https:\/\/theweek.com\/about-us)\n- [Contact Future's experts](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/contact\/)\n- [Terms and Conditions](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/)\n- [Cookie Policy](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/cookies-policy\/)\n- [Advertise With Us](https:\/\/go.future-advertising.com\/The-Week-Media-Kit.html)\n- [FAQ](https:\/\/theweek.com\/faq)\n- [Do not sell or share my personal information](https:\/\/theweek.com\/privacy-portal)\n\n[![Add as a preferred source on Google](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/mednnv697g1760357120.png) Add as a preferred source on Google](https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=theweek.com)\n\nThe Week is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. [Visit our corporate site](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/).\n\n© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.","attrs_readable_markdown":"At 12.41am local time on 8 March, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 set out from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. About 40 minutes after its departure, however, nearly all electronic communications from the Boeing 777 stopped: it disappeared from air traffic control radars; and by 2.22am, it had dropped off military radars, too. Half an hour later, the airline confirmed that it had lost contact with MH370.\n\nIn the days that followed, a huge Malaysian, and later Australian-led, search operation was launched; but it soon became clear that all 239 people on board – 227 passengers and 12 crew, including 154 people from China and 50 from Malaysia – were likely to have died. More than a decade later, [the fate of MH370](https:\/\/theweek.com\/world-news\/will-the-mystery-of-mh370-be-solved) and its passengers is unresolved.\n\n## What do we know about where it went?\nFor more than seven hours after it dropped off flight radars, MH370 sent “handshakes”, routine communications with a satellite network, confirming that it was still flying – meaning the plane had not suffered some sudden catastrophic event. Data from Malaysian military radar suggests that it made a sharp left turn soon after entering Vietnamese airspace; it then headed southwest, back over the Malayan peninsula, before flying northwest up the Strait of Malacca between [Indonesia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/indonesia) and Malaysia. There, it was lost beyond radar range.\n\nArticle continues below\n\n## The Week\nEscape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.\n\n[SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https:\/\/subscribe.theweek.com\/servlet\/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article)\n\n## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\n\nFrom our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.\n\nLatest Videos From The Week\n\nInitially, the search operation centred on the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca; but investigators later established (using satellite data, and a process of elimination) that MH370 turned sharply again and flew on for hours, to the southern Indian Ocean. There it descended steeply into the sea, presumably because it ran out of fuel. Underwater searches of that area have since covered more than 50,000 square miles of one of the world’s least-explored seafloors.\n\n## What have these searches found?\nThe official search involved nearly 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 26 nations, and lasted until January 2017. A private US company, Ocean Infinity, later resumed the search for five months in early 2018, working for the Malaysian government on a no-find, no-fee basis, and using underwater drones to scan the seabed. Nothing was found.\n\nThe first physical proof that MH370 had indeed crashed into the Indian Ocean had turned up in July 2015, on the French island of Réunion – beach cleaners found a “[flaperon](https:\/\/theweek.com\/speedreads\/609825\/experts-believe-may-have-found-another-piece-missing-flight-mh370)”, a large wing component, which was later confirmed to be from the airliner. Another flap from its right wing was found on Pemba Island off Tanzania; Other debris almost certainly from the plane was found from Mauritius to Madagascar. But nobody has yet managed to track down the debris to its point of origin, nor have they found the plane’s black boxes.\n\n## So what happened?\nThere are scores of theories, some plausible, many preposterous. In the absence of any distress call, hijack seems unlikely. Even so, it has been suggested that the plane was hijacked and flown to [Russia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/tag\/russia), or the [US airbase on the island of Diego Garcia](https:\/\/theweek.com\/politics\/uk-mauritius-chagos-diego-garcia-base); others have said it could have been shot down. Less fanciful theories include a mass hypoxia event – in which everyone was knocked out owing to oxygen deprivation caused by a sudden cabin depressurisation, while the plane continued flying on autopilot until it ran out of fuel.\n\nA free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com\n\nThe consensus among experts, however, is that the plane’s disappearance was probably the result of pilot suicide: either by the pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, or First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid.\n\n## What evidence supports the theory?\nThe flight path, with its sharp turns, in no way resembles an autopilot flight plan; it is consistent with manual control. The turning off of all communications is more likely to have been a deliberate act than a total system failure. The circumstances suggest control was seized from within the cockpit, sometime between 1.01am and 1.21am, when the plane disappeared from radar. By this time – barring the unlikely event of two pilots acting in concert – one of the pilots must have either been dead, incapacitated or locked out of the cockpit.\n\nExperts hypothesise that MH370 was deliberately and rapidly depressurised, rendering passengers dead within minutes. Passenger oxygen masks provide 15 minutes of oxygen at best; pilots have access to several hours’ worth. This would have allowed a pilot to keep flying for hours, without disturbances.\n\n## Do we know which pilot might have been to blame?\nNo. However, an FBI investigation discovered that Captain Shah had practised flying a very similar southerly path over the Indian Ocean using a [Microsoft flight simulator](https:\/\/theweek.com\/speedreads\/638222\/mh370-pilot-reportedly-mapped-murdersuicide-flight-path-simulator); he had then deleted the record. The Malaysian police investigation presented him as a respectable family man, but it was widely deemed inadequate and designed to minimise embarrassment. Shah was described by friends as sad and lonely: his wife had recently moved out. By contrast, Hamid, the first officer, was widely seen as an optimistic person, with no history of mental health problems.\n\n## Who is leading the new search?\nIt is again being conducted by Ocean Infinity, which will collect a £56 million reward from Malaysia if it finds the plane, but nothing if it fails. The seabed surveying company will target a 5,800 square mile area it believes is most likely to contain the plane’s wreckage. Drones are using sonar, laser, optic and echo sound technology to look for debris on the ocean floor at depths of up to 6,000 metres.\n\nBut the precise crash zone is impossible to pinpoint from satellite data. And even if the debris, and the black boxes, are found, aviation experts will only learn more about technical data from the flight. The cockpit voice recorder is on a self-erasing two-hour loop, so – unless a pilot chose to (and was able to) provide some explanation at the end of the flight – it may contain little more than the sound of alarms blaring on the plane’s final descent.","meta_canonical":null}

3. Robots.txt Check

Query:

Response:

4. Spam/Ban Check

Query:

Response:

5. Seen Status Check

ℹ️ Skipped - page is already crawled

📄

INDEXABLE

✅

CRAWLED

9 hours ago

🤖

ROBOTS ALLOWED

Page Info Filters

Filter	Status	Condition	Details
HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
Age cutoff	PASS	`download_stamp > now() - 6 MONTH`	0 months ago
History drop	PASS	`isNull(history_drop_reason)`	No drop reason
Spam/ban	PASS	`fh_dont_index != 1 AND ml_spam_score = 0`	ml_spam_score=0
Canonical	PASS	`meta_canonical IS NULL OR = '' OR = src_unparsed`	Not set

Page Details

Property	Value
URL	https://theweek.com/world-news/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery
Last Crawled	2026-04-19 11:55:45 (9 hours ago)
First Indexed	2026-02-22 07:54:55 (1 month ago)
HTTP Status Code	200
Meta Title	The mystery of flight MH370 \| The Week
Meta Description	In 2014, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without trace. Twelve years on, a new operation is under way to find the doomed airliner
Meta Canonical	null
Boilerpipe Text	At 12.41am local time on 8 March, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 set out from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. About 40 minutes after its departure, however, nearly all electronic communications from the Boeing 777 stopped: it disappeared from air traffic control radars; and by 2.22am, it had dropped off military radars, too. Half an hour later, the airline confirmed that it had lost contact with MH370. In the days that followed, a huge Malaysian, and later Australian-led, search operation was launched; but it soon became clear that all 239 people on board – 227 passengers and 12 crew, including 154 people from China and 50 from Malaysia – were likely to have died. More than a decade later, the fate of MH370 and its passengers is unresolved. What do we know about where it went? For more than seven hours after it dropped off flight radars, MH370 sent “handshakes”, routine communications with a satellite network, confirming that it was still flying – meaning the plane had not suffered some sudden catastrophic event. Data from Malaysian military radar suggests that it made a sharp left turn soon after entering Vietnamese airspace; it then headed southwest, back over the Malayan peninsula, before flying northwest up the Strait of Malacca between Indonesia and Malaysia. There, it was lost beyond radar range. Article continues below The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Latest Videos From The Week Initially, the search operation centred on the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca; but investigators later established (using satellite data, and a process of elimination) that MH370 turned sharply again and flew on for hours, to the southern Indian Ocean. There it descended steeply into the sea, presumably because it ran out of fuel. Underwater searches of that area have since covered more than 50,000 square miles of one of the world’s least-explored seafloors. What have these searches found? The official search involved nearly 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 26 nations, and lasted until January 2017. A private US company, Ocean Infinity, later resumed the search for five months in early 2018, working for the Malaysian government on a no-find, no-fee basis, and using underwater drones to scan the seabed. Nothing was found. The first physical proof that MH370 had indeed crashed into the Indian Ocean had turned up in July 2015, on the French island of Réunion – beach cleaners found a “ flaperon ”, a large wing component, which was later confirmed to be from the airliner. Another flap from its right wing was found on Pemba Island off Tanzania; Other debris almost certainly from the plane was found from Mauritius to Madagascar. But nobody has yet managed to track down the debris to its point of origin, nor have they found the plane’s black boxes. So what happened? There are scores of theories, some plausible, many preposterous. In the absence of any distress call, hijack seems unlikely. Even so, it has been suggested that the plane was hijacked and flown to Russia , or the US airbase on the island of Diego Garcia ; others have said it could have been shot down. Less fanciful theories include a mass hypoxia event – in which everyone was knocked out owing to oxygen deprivation caused by a sudden cabin depressurisation, while the plane continued flying on autopilot until it ran out of fuel. A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com The consensus among experts, however, is that the plane’s disappearance was probably the result of pilot suicide: either by the pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, or First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid. What evidence supports the theory? The flight path, with its sharp turns, in no way resembles an autopilot flight plan; it is consistent with manual control. The turning off of all communications is more likely to have been a deliberate act than a total system failure. The circumstances suggest control was seized from within the cockpit, sometime between 1.01am and 1.21am, when the plane disappeared from radar. By this time – barring the unlikely event of two pilots acting in concert – one of the pilots must have either been dead, incapacitated or locked out of the cockpit. Experts hypothesise that MH370 was deliberately and rapidly depressurised, rendering passengers dead within minutes. Passenger oxygen masks provide 15 minutes of oxygen at best; pilots have access to several hours’ worth. This would have allowed a pilot to keep flying for hours, without disturbances. Do we know which pilot might have been to blame? No. However, an FBI investigation discovered that Captain Shah had practised flying a very similar southerly path over the Indian Ocean using a Microsoft flight simulator ; he had then deleted the record. The Malaysian police investigation presented him as a respectable family man, but it was widely deemed inadequate and designed to minimise embarrassment. Shah was described by friends as sad and lonely: his wife had recently moved out. By contrast, Hamid, the first officer, was widely seen as an optimistic person, with no history of mental health problems. Who is leading the new search? It is again being conducted by Ocean Infinity, which will collect a £56 million reward from Malaysia if it finds the plane, but nothing if it fails. The seabed surveying company will target a 5,800 square mile area it believes is most likely to contain the plane’s wreckage. Drones are using sonar, laser, optic and echo sound technology to look for debris on the ocean floor at depths of up to 6,000 metres. But the precise crash zone is impossible to pinpoint from satellite data. And even if the debris, and the black boxes, are found, aviation experts will only learn more about technical data from the flight. The cockpit voice recorder is on a self-erasing two-hour loop, so – unless a pilot chose to (and was able to) provide some explanation at the end of the flight – it may contain little more than the sound of alarms blaring on the plane’s final descent.
Markdown	![](https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p/?c1=2&c2=10055482&cv=4.4.0&cj=1) [![The Week](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/qsgislpohy1687441729.svg) The Week](https://theweek.com/) US Edition ![flag of US](https://vanilla.futurecdn.net/theweek/media/shared/img/flags/nosize/US.svg) [![flag of US](https://vanilla.futurecdn.net/theweek/media/shared/img/flags/nosize/US.svg) US](https://theweek.com/world-news/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery) [![flag of UK](https://vanilla.futurecdn.net/theweek/media/shared/img/flags/nosize/GB.svg) UK](https://theweek.com/world-news/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery) [![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg) SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Less than \$3 per week](https://subscribe.theweek.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-header-block) × Sign in - View Profile - Sign out - [The Explainer](https://theweek.com/the-explainer) - [The Week Recommends](https://theweek.com/the-week-recommends) - [Newsletters](https://theweek.com/newsletters) - [Cartoons](https://theweek.com/cartoons) - [From the Magazine](https://usmagazine.theweek.com/t/storefront/storefront) - More - [The Week Junior](https://theweekjunior.com/?utm_source=theweek.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=theweekus_menu_link) - [Student Offers](https://subscribe.theweek.com/pubs/W0/TWE/studentbeans_promo.jsp?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=285040) - [Politics](https://theweek.com/politics) - [World News](https://theweek.com/tag/world-news) - [Business](https://theweek.com/business) - [Health](https://theweek.com/health) - [Science](https://theweek.com/science) - [Food & Drink](https://theweek.com/culture-life/food-drink) - [Travel](https://theweek.com/culture-life/travel) - [Culture](https://theweek.com/culture-life) - [History](https://theweek.com/history) - [Personal Finance](https://theweek.com/personal-finance) - [Puzzles](https://theweek.com/puzzles) - [Photos](https://theweek.com/photos) - [The Blend](https://theblendjournal.com/) - [All Categories](https://theweek.com/digest/round-up/all-categories) [Newsletter sign up Newsletter](https://theweek.com/newsletters) Don't miss these [![Photo composite illustration of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump alongside tanks, missiles, jets, helicopters and explosions](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wXcmZrvPG6GdikuGSxXwKB.jpg) World News Are we heading for World War Three?](https://theweek.com/92967/are-we-heading-towards-world-war-3 "Are we heading for World War Three?") [![A United Airlines flight passes a fuel truck at Vancouver International Airport. ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dCCUQnhEGx6SxoNo2QVMjH.jpg) Transport How airlines are reacting to surging oil prices](https://theweek.com/transport/how-airlines-reacting-surging-oil-prices-higher-luggage-fees "How airlines are reacting to surging oil prices") [![Illustration of hooded figures in front of a pyramid, Eye of Providence symbol and a pair of grasping hands](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/McTW6GdFUczuKCweiriGLi.jpg) History The Illuminati: what is it, who are its members, and what do they believe?](https://theweek.com/62399/what-is-the-illuminati-and-what-does-it-control "The Illuminati: what is it, who are its members, and what do they believe?") [![Abstract digital human face](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DGGEYYeftbA2eNSamPX6uN.jpg) Personal Finance Satoshi Nakamoto: the mystery behind the creator of Bitcoin](https://theweek.com/personal-finance/satoshi-nakamoto-the-mystery-behind-the-creator-of-bitcoin "Satoshi Nakamoto: the mystery behind the creator of Bitcoin") [![Collage of scenes from the Russian invasion of Ukraine](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DrMeDqqNSNnpJuJoY8RV79.jpg) Defence Which side is winning the war: Russia or Ukraine?](https://theweek.com/news/world-news/europe/961821/who-is-winning-the-war-in-ukraine "Which side is winning the war: Russia or Ukraine?") [![Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walk by photographers and spectators taking pictures with smartphones on a visit to the Royal Children\&\#039;s Hospital in Melbourne](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gZzdQMNMQsVpS4W96RHE8c.jpg) Royals Harry and Meghan’s non-royal tour of Australia](https://theweek.com/royals/harry-and-meghan-tour-australia "Harry and Meghan’s non-royal tour of Australia") [![Photo composite of bombing in Gaza, Vladimir Putin, Chinese soldiers, nuclear explosion and a globe](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6cLEPuSdDQwKKdu8YzsqpJ.jpg) Defence How would we know if World War Three had started?](https://theweek.com/defence/how-would-we-know-if-world-war-three-had-started "How would we know if World War Three had started?") [![Illustrative collage of a vintage map of the sky with sperm swimming through it](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4U7JnedSbrGxhiHwiu8D9g.jpg) Science Human sperm gets lost in space](https://theweek.com/science/human-sperm-lost-in-space "Human sperm gets lost in space") [![Abandoned computers and chairs inside a scam centre on the site of a former casino on the Cambodian border with Thailand](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Q8JHTgD6hDkbxp2wYUcCC9.jpg) Crime Pig-butchering: Southeast Asia’s scam hubs](https://theweek.com/crime/pig-butchering-scams-china-southeast-asias "Pig-butchering: Southeast Asia’s scam hubs") [![Floral tributes for victims of the 2024 Southport attacks leaning against a wall](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2GgDcoxd2KkFnirJdWVnwF.jpg) Crime Why wasn’t the Southport killer stopped?](https://theweek.com/crime/southport-attacks-inquiry-axel-rudakubana "Why wasn’t the Southport killer stopped?") [![Artemis](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AHPutgTJucHFDJVpTuU99Q.jpg) Science Artemis II and the value of human space travel](https://theweek.com/science/artemis-ii-and-the-value-of-human-space-travel "Artemis II and the value of human space travel") [![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) World News Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation](https://theweek.com/world-news/air-force-colonel-rescued-iranian-missile "Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation") [![Edd Hedges on stage with a microphone](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xh3zj3LmSUFSc2DNyKN9TV.png) Culture & Life The best true crime podcasts to binge now](https://theweek.com/arts-life/culture/955048/best-true-crime-podcasts "The best true crime podcasts to binge now ") [![Keir Starmer talks to a group of police officers](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qooiG9wFYdxtqq27waq4cX.jpg) Crime What are grooming gangs? The UK scandal, explained](https://theweek.com/crime/the-grooming-gangs-scandal-explained "What are grooming gangs? The UK scandal, explained") [![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) World News Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue](https://theweek.com/world-news/iran-us-airmen-rescue "Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue ") 1. [Home](https://theweek.com/) 2. [World News](https://theweek.com/tag/world-news) [the explainer](https://theweek.com/the-explainer) # The mystery of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 In 2014, the passenger plane vanished without trace. Twelve years on, a new operation is under way to find the wreckage of the doomed airliner By [The Week UK](https://theweek.com/author/the-week-uk) published February 22, 2026 ![Malaysia Airlines MH370](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A3EvLgRpGaByDXNcvWh3eE.jpg) The first physical proof that MH370 had crashed into the Indian Ocean had turned up in July 2015, on the French island of Réunion (Image credit: Pedro Pardo / AFP / Getty Images) Share - Copy link - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery) - [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The+mystery+of+Malaysia+Airlines+flight+MH370&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery) - [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery&title=The+mystery+of+Malaysia+Airlines+flight+MH370&source=theweek.com) - [Whatsapp](whatsapp://send?text=The+mystery+of+Malaysia+Airlines+flight+MH370+https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery?fwa) - [Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fworld-news%2Fmalaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery&media=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2FA3EvLgRpGaByDXNcvWh3eE.jpg) Share this article Join the conversation [Follow us](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=theweek.com) Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com * By signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/) and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful * An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter At 12.41am local time on 8 March, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 set out from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. About 40 minutes after its departure, however, nearly all electronic communications from the Boeing 777 stopped: it disappeared from air traffic control radars; and by 2.22am, it had dropped off military radars, too. Half an hour later, the airline confirmed that it had lost contact with MH370. In the days that followed, a huge Malaysian, and later Australian-led, search operation was launched; but it soon became clear that all 239 people on board – 227 passengers and 12 crew, including 154 people from China and 50 from Malaysia – were likely to have died. More than a decade later, [the fate of MH370](https://theweek.com/world-news/will-the-mystery-of-mh370-be-solved) and its passengers is unresolved. ## What do we know about where it went? For more than seven hours after it dropped off flight radars, MH370 sent “handshakes”, routine communications with a satellite network, confirming that it was still flying – meaning the plane had not suffered some sudden catastrophic event. Data from Malaysian military radar suggests that it made a sharp left turn soon after entering Vietnamese airspace; it then headed southwest, back over the Malayan peninsula, before flying northwest up the Strait of Malacca between [Indonesia](https://theweek.com/tag/indonesia) and Malaysia. There, it was lost beyond radar range. Article continues below You may like - [![Airplane Iran](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pYC8QpBewps42wfQhXavAL.jpg) How the Iran war is affecting airspaces](https://theweek.com/transport/iran-war-affecting-airspaces-emirates-gulf) - [![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation](https://theweek.com/world-news/air-force-colonel-rescued-iranian-missile) - [![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue](https://theweek.com/world-news/iran-us-airmen-rescue) ## The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. [SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https://subscribe.theweek.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article) ![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg) ## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. [Sign up](https://theweek.com/newsletters) Latest Videos From The Week Initially, the search operation centred on the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca; but investigators later established (using satellite data, and a process of elimination) that MH370 turned sharply again and flew on for hours, to the southern Indian Ocean. There it descended steeply into the sea, presumably because it ran out of fuel. Underwater searches of that area have since covered more than 50,000 square miles of one of the world’s least-explored seafloors. ## What have these searches found? The official search involved nearly 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 26 nations, and lasted until January 2017. A private US company, Ocean Infinity, later resumed the search for five months in early 2018, working for the Malaysian government on a no-find, no-fee basis, and using underwater drones to scan the seabed. Nothing was found. The first physical proof that MH370 had indeed crashed into the Indian Ocean had turned up in July 2015, on the French island of Réunion – beach cleaners found a “[flaperon](https://theweek.com/speedreads/609825/experts-believe-may-have-found-another-piece-missing-flight-mh370)”, a large wing component, which was later confirmed to be from the airliner. Another flap from its right wing was found on Pemba Island off Tanzania; Other debris almost certainly from the plane was found from Mauritius to Madagascar. But nobody has yet managed to track down the debris to its point of origin, nor have they found the plane’s black boxes. ## So what happened? There are scores of theories, some plausible, many preposterous. In the absence of any distress call, hijack seems unlikely. Even so, it has been suggested that the plane was hijacked and flown to [Russia](https://theweek.com/tag/russia), or the [US airbase on the island of Diego Garcia](https://theweek.com/politics/uk-mauritius-chagos-diego-garcia-base); others have said it could have been shot down. Less fanciful theories include a mass hypoxia event – in which everyone was knocked out owing to oxygen deprivation caused by a sudden cabin depressurisation, while the plane continued flying on autopilot until it ran out of fuel. Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com By signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/) and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. The consensus among experts, however, is that the plane’s disappearance was probably the result of pilot suicide: either by the pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, or First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid. ## What evidence supports the theory? The flight path, with its sharp turns, in no way resembles an autopilot flight plan; it is consistent with manual control. The turning off of all communications is more likely to have been a deliberate act than a total system failure. The circumstances suggest control was seized from within the cockpit, sometime between 1.01am and 1.21am, when the plane disappeared from radar. By this time – barring the unlikely event of two pilots acting in concert – one of the pilots must have either been dead, incapacitated or locked out of the cockpit. Experts hypothesise that MH370 was deliberately and rapidly depressurised, rendering passengers dead within minutes. Passenger oxygen masks provide 15 minutes of oxygen at best; pilots have access to several hours’ worth. This would have allowed a pilot to keep flying for hours, without disturbances. ## Do we know which pilot might have been to blame? No. However, an FBI investigation discovered that Captain Shah had practised flying a very similar southerly path over the Indian Ocean using a [Microsoft flight simulator](https://theweek.com/speedreads/638222/mh370-pilot-reportedly-mapped-murdersuicide-flight-path-simulator); he had then deleted the record. The Malaysian police investigation presented him as a respectable family man, but it was widely deemed inadequate and designed to minimise embarrassment. Shah was described by friends as sad and lonely: his wife had recently moved out. By contrast, Hamid, the first officer, was widely seen as an optimistic person, with no history of mental health problems. ## Who is leading the new search? It is again being conducted by Ocean Infinity, which will collect a £56 million reward from Malaysia if it finds the plane, but nothing if it fails. The seabed surveying company will target a 5,800 square mile area it believes is most likely to contain the plane’s wreckage. Drones are using sonar, laser, optic and echo sound technology to look for debris on the ocean floor at depths of up to 6,000 metres. But the precise crash zone is impossible to pinpoint from satellite data. And even if the debris, and the black boxes, are found, aviation experts will only learn more about technical data from the flight. The cockpit voice recorder is on a self-erasing two-hour loop, so – unless a pilot chose to (and was able to) provide some explanation at the end of the flight – it may contain little more than the sound of alarms blaring on the plane’s final descent. [The Week UK](https://theweek.com/author/the-week-uk) Social Links Navigation Read more [![Airplane Iran](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pYC8QpBewps42wfQhXavAL.jpg) Transport How the Iran war is affecting airspaces](https://theweek.com/transport/iran-war-affecting-airspaces-emirates-gulf "How the Iran war is affecting airspaces") [![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) World News Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation](https://theweek.com/world-news/air-force-colonel-rescued-iranian-missile "Downed U.S. airmen rescued in daring operation") [![Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BGowLnpvn2BHKjJb4miADb.jpg) World News Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue](https://theweek.com/world-news/iran-us-airmen-rescue "Stranded in Iran: how the US pulled off a daring rescue ") [![The Marinera oil tanker, previously known as the Bella 1, off Burghead, Scotland](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GAZkMiZE8tXcmeB2GGAqSP.jpg) World News How oil tankers have been weaponised](https://theweek.com/world-news/how-oil-tankers-have-been-weaponised "How oil tankers have been weaponised ") Latest in World News [![Israel and Lebanon hold direct talks at the U.S. State Department](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LAYQZfck3Z4iuPkLqj53x5.jpg) World News Israel and Lebanon hold rare talks as fighting rages](https://theweek.com/world-news/israel-lebanon-rare-talks-fighting-war "Israel and Lebanon hold rare talks as fighting rages") [![Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/obWqGgT9F8RuF9Cxo5twDA.jpg) World News Canada’s Carney clinches majority in election trifecta](https://theweek.com/world-news/canada-carney-clinches-election-trifecta-majority "Canada’s Carney clinches majority in election trifecta") [![Photo collage of cheetahs wearing tracking collars and a map of central India](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VScoL9Ew9NsvEtHWUdshkN.jpg) World News India’s controversial bid to reintroduce cheetahs](https://theweek.com/world-news/india-project-reintroduce-cheetahs "India’s controversial bid to reintroduce cheetahs ") [![Vice President JD Vance after Iran peace talks in Pakistan](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hRKoUewkxcFmUNuBmwNBq4.jpg) World News Trump vows Iran naval blockade after talks fail](https://theweek.com/world-news/trump-vows-iran-blockade-hormuz-talks "Trump vows Iran naval blockade after talks fail") Latest in The explainer [![Woman interacting with a holographic screen, selecting an online subscription plan](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZCFRDNss6udXiSVr83tgiE.jpg) Personal Finance 4 tips to save on your subscriptions](https://theweek.com/personal-finance/save-on-subscriptions "4 tips to save on your subscriptions ") [![UK soldier](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zG5raftTW3n6LR6mXPHpX7.jpg) Defence Why the UK is not ready for war](https://theweek.com/defence/defence-spending-uk-ready-for-war "Why the UK is not ready for war") [![Illustration of a Democrat donkey covered with price stickers and holding a price tag](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/X7RAbjyHPXnEWimJ2gbtMh.jpg) Politics The main issues Democratic candidates will focus on in 2028](https://theweek.com/politics/main-issues-democrat-candidates-2028 "The main issues Democratic candidates will focus on in 2028") [![Close-up on a man paying by credit card at a gas station](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/86MKHENEq2AjXGiBJAmnqg.jpg) Personal Finance Can the right credit card help with rising gas prices?](https://theweek.com/personal-finance/gas-rewards-credit-card-savings "Can the right credit card help with rising gas prices? ") - [About Us](https://theweek.com/about-us) - [Contact Future's experts](https://futureplc.com/contact/) - [Terms and Conditions](https://futureplc.com/terms-conditions/) - [Privacy Policy](https://futureplc.com/privacy-policy/) - [Cookie Policy](https://futureplc.com/cookies-policy/) - [Advertise With Us](https://go.future-advertising.com/The-Week-Media-Kit.html) - [FAQ](https://theweek.com/faq) - [Do not sell or share my personal information](https://theweek.com/privacy-portal) [![Add as a preferred source on Google](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mednnv697g1760357120.png) Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=theweek.com) The Week is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. [Visit our corporate site](https://futureplc.com/). © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
Readable Markdown	At 12.41am local time on 8 March, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 set out from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. About 40 minutes after its departure, however, nearly all electronic communications from the Boeing 777 stopped: it disappeared from air traffic control radars; and by 2.22am, it had dropped off military radars, too. Half an hour later, the airline confirmed that it had lost contact with MH370. In the days that followed, a huge Malaysian, and later Australian-led, search operation was launched; but it soon became clear that all 239 people on board – 227 passengers and 12 crew, including 154 people from China and 50 from Malaysia – were likely to have died. More than a decade later, [the fate of MH370](https://theweek.com/world-news/will-the-mystery-of-mh370-be-solved) and its passengers is unresolved. ## What do we know about where it went? For more than seven hours after it dropped off flight radars, MH370 sent “handshakes”, routine communications with a satellite network, confirming that it was still flying – meaning the plane had not suffered some sudden catastrophic event. Data from Malaysian military radar suggests that it made a sharp left turn soon after entering Vietnamese airspace; it then headed southwest, back over the Malayan peninsula, before flying northwest up the Strait of Malacca between [Indonesia](https://theweek.com/tag/indonesia) and Malaysia. There, it was lost beyond radar range. Article continues below ## The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. [SUBSCRIBE & SAVE](https://subscribe.theweek.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=TWE&cds_page_id=275740&cds_response_key=I4BRBKSW1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_campaign=wku-all-digital_referral-202401-sub-none-fbk24&utm_content=us-in-article) ## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Latest Videos From The Week Initially, the search operation centred on the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca; but investigators later established (using satellite data, and a process of elimination) that MH370 turned sharply again and flew on for hours, to the southern Indian Ocean. There it descended steeply into the sea, presumably because it ran out of fuel. Underwater searches of that area have since covered more than 50,000 square miles of one of the world’s least-explored seafloors. ## What have these searches found? The official search involved nearly 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 26 nations, and lasted until January 2017. A private US company, Ocean Infinity, later resumed the search for five months in early 2018, working for the Malaysian government on a no-find, no-fee basis, and using underwater drones to scan the seabed. Nothing was found. The first physical proof that MH370 had indeed crashed into the Indian Ocean had turned up in July 2015, on the French island of Réunion – beach cleaners found a “[flaperon](https://theweek.com/speedreads/609825/experts-believe-may-have-found-another-piece-missing-flight-mh370)”, a large wing component, which was later confirmed to be from the airliner. Another flap from its right wing was found on Pemba Island off Tanzania; Other debris almost certainly from the plane was found from Mauritius to Madagascar. But nobody has yet managed to track down the debris to its point of origin, nor have they found the plane’s black boxes. ## So what happened? There are scores of theories, some plausible, many preposterous. In the absence of any distress call, hijack seems unlikely. Even so, it has been suggested that the plane was hijacked and flown to [Russia](https://theweek.com/tag/russia), or the [US airbase on the island of Diego Garcia](https://theweek.com/politics/uk-mauritius-chagos-diego-garcia-base); others have said it could have been shot down. Less fanciful theories include a mass hypoxia event – in which everyone was knocked out owing to oxygen deprivation caused by a sudden cabin depressurisation, while the plane continued flying on autopilot until it ran out of fuel. A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com The consensus among experts, however, is that the plane’s disappearance was probably the result of pilot suicide: either by the pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, or First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid. ## What evidence supports the theory? The flight path, with its sharp turns, in no way resembles an autopilot flight plan; it is consistent with manual control. The turning off of all communications is more likely to have been a deliberate act than a total system failure. The circumstances suggest control was seized from within the cockpit, sometime between 1.01am and 1.21am, when the plane disappeared from radar. By this time – barring the unlikely event of two pilots acting in concert – one of the pilots must have either been dead, incapacitated or locked out of the cockpit. Experts hypothesise that MH370 was deliberately and rapidly depressurised, rendering passengers dead within minutes. Passenger oxygen masks provide 15 minutes of oxygen at best; pilots have access to several hours’ worth. This would have allowed a pilot to keep flying for hours, without disturbances. ## Do we know which pilot might have been to blame? No. However, an FBI investigation discovered that Captain Shah had practised flying a very similar southerly path over the Indian Ocean using a [Microsoft flight simulator](https://theweek.com/speedreads/638222/mh370-pilot-reportedly-mapped-murdersuicide-flight-path-simulator); he had then deleted the record. The Malaysian police investigation presented him as a respectable family man, but it was widely deemed inadequate and designed to minimise embarrassment. Shah was described by friends as sad and lonely: his wife had recently moved out. By contrast, Hamid, the first officer, was widely seen as an optimistic person, with no history of mental health problems. ## Who is leading the new search? It is again being conducted by Ocean Infinity, which will collect a £56 million reward from Malaysia if it finds the plane, but nothing if it fails. The seabed surveying company will target a 5,800 square mile area it believes is most likely to contain the plane’s wreckage. Drones are using sonar, laser, optic and echo sound technology to look for debris on the ocean floor at depths of up to 6,000 metres. But the precise crash zone is impossible to pinpoint from satellite data. And even if the debris, and the black boxes, are found, aviation experts will only learn more about technical data from the flight. The cockpit voice recorder is on a self-erasing two-hour loop, so – unless a pilot chose to (and was able to) provide some explanation at the end of the flight – it may contain little more than the sound of alarms blaring on the plane’s final descent.
Shard	139 (laksa)
Root Hash	5471547289642633339
Unparsed URL	com,theweek!/world-news/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-mystery s443