Boeing 777 Flight MH370 Flown off course, deliberately

Investigators have concluded that at least one person with considerable flying experience flew the missing Malaysia Airlines jet off course for seven hours in a "deliberate action" after turning off its communication systems.

From CNN, TIME, Saturday 15, 2014



Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced at a press conference on Saturday that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared a week ago with 239 people aboard, appeared to be intentionally steered off-course by at least one person with considerable flying experience.

“This has been a situation without precedent,” said Najib, adding that the plane’s disappearance was the result of a “deliberate action by someone on the plane.”

Authorities are very confident that the jet’s transponder was disabled during the flight, he added, and that the last satellite communication from the aircraft came about seven hours after takeoff. The investigation has been “refocused” into the passengers and crew members.

[caption id="attachment_1925" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Map of possible flight routes/capabilities of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370[/caption]

Satellite data confirms that the plane turned to fly in a westerly direction soon after reaching the South China Sea. Two “corridors” have been identified where the plane may have flown: a northern sector around the borders of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and northern Thailand; and a southern sector stretching from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean. Search efforts will now be concentrated in these vast expanses.Captain Ross Aimer, an aviation consultant who was formerly an instructor for the 777, tells TIME that a pilot with “considerable skill and experience” could land the aircraft in as little as 3,000 ft (900 m). “It’s conceivable that if this was a calculated set-up they may have an old military field somewhere in the middle of some jungle,” he says. “You could even land it on a beach or small strip of land.”

[caption id="attachment_1923" align="aligncenter" width="599"] Malaysia Airlines Flight Mh370 Corridors map[/caption]

Other theories that gained steam in the last few days, including pilot suicide, an in-flight bomb or mid-air disintegration, seem to be being put on the back-burner. However, Najib insisted that all avenues were still open.

“Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked,” he said, “I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path.”No motive for any hijacking has been established and no demands are known.

(MORE: ‘I’m Safe’: Last Status Update of Teenager on Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight)

Other possible theories might include a loss of cabin pressure rendering passengers and crew unconscious, and a malfunctioning autopilot causing the plane to veer off-course. However, the seemingly deliberate route and numerous direction changes would make that unlikely.

The aircraft had 227 passengers and 12 crew on board when it departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport for Beijing at 12:21 a.m. local time on March 8. The Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or ACARS, was disabled just before the aircraft reached the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, and shortly afterwards, near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off. Investigators conclude that any gap would be unlikely in the event of an explosion.

Despite a massive search, no wreckage has yet been found in the immediate vicinity of where communication was lost between Malaysia and Vietnam. Najib said in the press conference that Malaysia had ended its search in the South China Sea. A search team boasting 43 ships and 58 aircraft from 14 nations has been enlisted.

Earlier, an American official said investigators were examining the possibility of “human intervention” in the jet’s disappearance, addi