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Monday, February 21, 2022

Mystery of flight MH370: New theory leads to 'horrifying' conclusion

20 Feb, 2022
By Benedict Brook

A noted aviation expert has said he has found the likely location of the doomed aeroplane MH370.

If he's right it would solve the eight-year-old mystery of the whereabouts of the aircraft and its 239 passengers and crew, all of whom are presumed to have perished.

The findings have also reinforced a "horrifying" theory — said the senior officer in charge of the initial search — of the missing plane's final hours.

But the authorities are yet to be persuaded to tackle a new search mission.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, several hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, bound for Beijing, China.

The plane headed northeast towards China but not long after takeoff it abruptly changed direction in the Gulf of Thailand and headed back across the Malaysian peninsula. It then plotted a course southwest into the remote depths of the Indian Ocean.

It's thought to have crashed 2000km off the coast of Western Australia.

The search for MH370 covered 120,000 square kilometres. But to no avail.

A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion drops stores to HMAS Toowoomba, during a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Photo / LSIS James Whittle, File

British aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey has conducted a painstaking examination of the anomalies in radio signals from that fateful night. He has said that's enabled him to zero in on a new crash zone.

"In my view, there's no reason why we shouldn't be planning for a new search," Godfrey told Australia's Channel 9 on Sunday.

The breakthrough discovery claim came after an analysis using Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) technology – this is effectively an invisible radio wave similar to trip-wires that record anything disturbing or passing through the waves.

However, experts have expressed serious doubts as to whether historical WSPR data can be used to track MH370

Godfrey told the 60 Minutes programme that 160 signals were disturbed over the Indian Ocean that night, disturbances likely caused by an aeroplane.

Zaharie Ahmad Shah, pilot of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, passing through airport security at Kuala Lumpur airport. Photo / Supplied, File

Only one other aircraft was anywhere near MH370 over the ocean and Godfrey said that plane was at least an hour away.

That meant the disturbances were most likely caused by the Malaysian jet allowing its flight to be tracked as well as its probable final resting place.

He has said he can narrow a search area down to just 300sq km, which could be looked at in just a few weeks. That includes some areas already searched and others that were never looked at during the initial rescue effort.

"With this very difficult terrain it is possible to miss wreckage," he said.

"When you're going through 120,000 square kilometres you get one chance, one pass of each point. With 300 square kilometres, you can have several passes and from different angles, so it's possible."

Godfrey told 60 Minutes that his research has uncovered another aspect of the flight and its captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah.

Far from heading in a straight line into the Indian Ocean, Godfrey has claimed MH370 did a number of 360-degree turns over the sea – almost like holding patterns before an aircraft lands at a busy airport. That would mean the "ghost flight" theory – that the plane was on autopilot and the passengers and crew were incapacitated – may not be accurate.

British aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey. Video screengrab / Sunrise, File

"This is strange to me. When you're in the remotest part of the Indian Ocean trying to lose an aircraft why would you enter a holding pattern for 20 minutes?

"(The captain) may have been communicating with the Malaysian government, he may have been checking whether he was being followed, he may have simply wanted time to make up his mind," said Godfrey.

If correct, the curious course of the Boeing 777 over the Indian Ocean gives credence to the theory that the captain deliberately flew the plane into oblivion.

Peter Foley was the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's (ATSB) director of operations for the MH370 search.

Asked on the programme by 60 Minutes' reporter Sarah Abo if the most likely scenario was that the captain was behind a mass murder incident, Foley said "Yes, by a wide margin. It's horrifying".

Nevertheless, Foley said some of Godfrey's conclusions needed more scrutiny.

"There's certainly merit in exploring new avenues.

"I think the jury is still out on Richard's work, but let's hope he is onto something."

The ATSB described Godfrey as "credible" but has not launched a new investigation.

"The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has not had a formal involvement in any search for the missing aircraft MH370 since the conclusion of the first underwater search in 2017, has not recommenced a search for the aircraft, and notes that any decision to conduct further searches would be a matter for the Government of Malaysia," ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said in a statement.

A fast response craft tows Able Seaman Clearance Diver Michael Arnold as he searches for debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight. Photo / Lieutenant Ryan Davis, File

"The ATSB is aware of the work of Mr Richard Godfrey and acknowledges that he is a credible expert on the subject of MH370, but the ATSB does not have the technical expertise to, and has not been requested to, review his 'MH370 Flight Path' paper and workings.

"As such the ATSB cannot offer an assessment of the validity of Mr Godfrey's work using WSPR data.

"The ATSB does acknowledge that Mr Godfrey's work recommends a search zone for MH370, a significant portion of which covers an area searched during the ATSB-led underwater search.

"When the ATSB was made aware that Mr Godfrey's zone incorporates an area of ocean surveyed during the ATSB-led search, out of due diligence the ATSB requested Geoscience Australia review the data it held from the search to re-validate that no items of interest were detected in that area."

"The ATSB expects that review to be finalised in coming weeks, the results from which will be made public on the ATSB's website.

"The ATSB acknowledges the importance of locating the aircraft to provide answers and closure to the families of those who lost loved ones.

"The ATSB remains an interested observer in all efforts to find the missing aircraft."

Mitchell reiterated that any decision to conduct further searches for MH370 would be a matter for the Government of Malaysia and that the ATSB was not aware of any requests to the Australian Government from Malaysia to support a new search for the missing aircraft.

Godfrey's insights have led a grieving wife who lost her husband in the MH370 crash to now believe the incident was murder, not a mechanical failure.

The remains of Danica Weeks' husband, New Zealander Paul Weeks, have never been found.

Former Christchurch man Paul Weeks, who was on Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

Photo / Supplied, File

Weeks told Sky News that after years of thinking the plane went down because of mechanical failure she now believes it was murder.

"I was so staunch about saying it wasn't the pilot," she said.

"But now I have to throw all of that out after nearly eight years [since the disappearance] and three years of searching [for the plane, by the authorities].

"I never believed it was the pilot. Unfortunately, Richard Godfrey has said that he believes with this point that the pilot was in control. And look, it makes sense that we've searched for a ghost plane, haven't found it. So maybe we have to step forward and … search on that basis now."

Godfrey said a new search would only take a few million dollars.

"I'm sure this mystery will be solved and hopefully it will be solved later this year."

MY THEORY IS JUST AS HORRIFYING

WATERSPOUT

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Flight MH370's Disappearance Shows the Difficulty of Deep-Sea Search

MH370 search area — A 2014 search plan shows the rugged contours of the Indian Ocean seabed (Australian Transportation Safety Bureau)

[By Jamie Pringle, Alastair Ruffell Reader and Ruth Morgan]

It has been ten years since Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, carrying 239 passengers and crew on board, disappeared less than one hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on 8 March 2014. It has become one of the great mysteries of modern times and is a puzzle that has remained resolutely unsolved.

Theories abound on the flight’s disappearance and current location of the wreckage. Unusually, all communications aboard the plane were switched off shortly after take-off.

Intermittent satellite location information subsequently suggested it was flown south on a very different flight path than expected, to a remote and deep ocean area of the Southern Indian Ocean before contact was lost.

When actively searching for MH370, sophisticated international surveillance aircraft initially conducted over 300 flights to visually look for plane debris on the surface. Then surface and submersible vehicles conducted further surveys, searching over 120,000 square kilometers of ocean before ending the search in 2017.

The effort to find MH370 became one of the most expensive aviation searches in history. These surveys used both sonar (active acoustic instruments to image the sea floor to locate the aircraft), and also listening devices to pick up the aircraft’s flight data recorder.

Confirmed MH370 plane debris was found on Reunion Island in July 2015 and off the coast of Mozambique in February 2016, which was consistent with what we know about ocean currents. In 2018, OceanInfinity, a private exploration company, also searched 25,000 square kilometers, but without success.

Since then, a mixture of highly trained experts and members of the public have sought to assist the search. These efforts have varied from simple to really advanced data analysis. They have attempted to map the locations and timings of plane debris, and other maritime debris, as well as model drift currents. In doing so, they are attempting to reconstruct where these may have originated from, which is no small task.

Analysis of the MH370 flight path has been pieced together from two different types of radar – primary and secondary – as well as the intermittent data “pings” from the plane to the Inmarsat satellite. The results suggest that it diverted south from its intended flight path.

Another technique called weak signal propagation (WSPR data (a way of using radio emission to track objects such as planes), had defined a specific but very large search area, some of which has already been searched.

Available hydroacoustic data (based on the way sound propagates in water) of the sea floor has also been analyzed. However, only a relatively small area was covered and the marine sea floor in this region can be very rugged. There are deep submarine canyons that can hide objects much bigger than a plane.

Lessons from studying past flight disasters also informed the search. These included the 2009 Yemenia plane crash in the Indian Ocean.

Recovery operation

For inland or coastal water searches, a phased investigation strategy is suggested as best practice, where investigators look to identify water depths, major current strengths and directions, together with pre-existing site information, before specialist search teams are employed using methods, equipment configurations and personnel that have all been accredited.

However this reliance on technology can be problematic. Even in small waterways, the presence of vegetation in the search area or a target buried by sediment can make these searches difficult.

Much of the Southern Indian Ocean sea floor is rugged and relatively unmapped, with water depths of up to 7,400 meters. It’s away from regular shipping lanes and commercial flight patterns, with few fishing boats, no significant land masses and some of the worst winds and weather in the world. These factors also make it a very challenging area to search.

In deep water (more than 2-3,000 meters) deploying sonar is cumbersome and prohibitively expensive. It also takes a long time to generate data. A major challenge for scanning technologies is achieving accuracy at these kinds of depths due to the scattering of the signal caused by uneven, especially rocky substrates on the sea floor.

The development of more advanced autonomous submersible vehicles may hold the key to finding MH370 in the Southern Indian Ocean, along with post-processing of raw data which can clarify what can be attributed to rocks as well as sea-floor hummocks and pockets.

This can distinguish between the sea floor and the objects being searched for. However, the area where MH370 disappeared is vast, meaning future searches will remain just as challenging as when the plane first went missing in 2014.

Jamie Pringle is a Reader in Forensic Geoscience at Keele University.

Alastair Ruffell is a Reader at the School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast.

Ruth Morgan is Vice Dean Engineering and Professor of Crime and Forensic Science at UCL.

This article appears courtesy of The Conversation and may be found in its original form here.

The Conversation

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

MH370

MY THEORY: WATERSPOUT

Wednesday, June 05, 2024

MH370 breakthrough as investigators plan to use sea explosions to solve mystery of aircraft's location

***Pressure signals could be used to locate the missing plane. Picture: Alamy/Google Maps***

By Emma Soteriou

30 May 2024, 14:52

A breakthrough in the mystery of the missing MH370 flight could be on the way as fresh plans have been proposed to use sea explosions to uncover its location.

The Boeing 777 plane carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur to Beijing vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014.

Researchers have found that audio signals captured at a hydroacoustic station off the coast of Australia could hold the answer to the mystery.

Unique acoustic signatures are created when aircrafts crash, which can travel more than 3,000km through the water.

It has now been suggested that a series of controlled underwater explosions could help in finding a more precise location of the wreckage.

The system was previously used in the search for ARA San Juan, an Argentinian sub that disappeared in 2017.

A wing flap found on Pemba Island, Tanzania was previously identified as a missing part of Flight MH370. Picture: Getty

Dr Usama Kadri from Cardiff University’s School of Mathematics said: "Our analysis shows clear pressure signals from previous aircraft crashes were detected on hydrophones, even at distances exceeding 3,000km.

"In the case of MH370, official investigations concluded the aircraft must have crashed near the 7th arc, the point at which the last communication between the plane and INMERSAT [a British satellite telecommunications company] occurred.

"The main search area at the 7th arc lies less than 2,000km away from the hydroacoustic station at Cape Leeuwin, Australia, with no impediments to filter out the signal.

"However, within the time frame and location suggested by the official search, only a single, relatively weak signal was identified."

Dr Kadri went on to say: "It is relatively straightforward and feasible and could provide a means to determine the signal’s relevance to MH370, prior to resuming with another extensive search. If found to be related, this would significantly narrow down, almost pinpoint, the aircraft’s location.

"On the other hand, if the signals are found to be unrelated, it would indicate a need for authorities to reassess the time frame or location established by their official search efforts to date."

Mr Wilson has alleged he found the site wreckage on Google Earth. Picture: Google Maps

It comes after it was claimed that the wreckage of the missing flight MH370 had been found on Google Maps.

Technology expert Ian Wilson said he believed he had identified the wreckage of the ill-fated flight in the Cambodian jungle.

Mr Wilson said: "Measuring the Google sighting, you're looking at around 69 metres, but there looks to be a gap between the tail and the back of the plane.

"It's just slightly bigger, but there's a gap that would probably account for that."

At the time, an expensive multinational government search failed to turn up any clues, although several pieces of debris washed ashore on the East African coast and Indian Ocean islands.

A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing, but it sparked moves to bolster aviation safety.

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Expert advances ‘active’ pilot theory after MH370 crash investigation, ATSB orders search data review

Ryan General

British aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey has pinpointed what he claims to be the location of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370).
The Boeing 777-200ER aircraft carrying 239 people mysteriously disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014.
Previous multinational search efforts failed to find the wreckage of the plane.
According to Godfrey, Flight 370 hit the ocean about 1200 miles (1,933 kilometers) west of Perth, Australia, and some 13,123 feet (4,000 meters) under the water.
Godfrey pinpointed the location using Weak Signal Propagation Reporter analysis to monitor radio frequency disturbances the plane created around the world.
Godfrey also noticed irregular patterns the aircraft made throughout its journey that fateful day which shows that pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah may have contributed to causing the plane to go off course.
It remains unclear whether the new findings will lead to renewed efforts to search for the wreckage in the new location.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau released a statement saying that Godfrey is a credible expert on the subject of MH370 but declined to endorse a new search.

A retired aerospace engineer believes he has uncovered the whereabouts of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), the passenger aircraft from Malaysia that disappeared nearly eight years ago, after conducting an unofficial investigation. His findings have led to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to order a review of search data.

The Malaysian Airlines flight shocked the world when it mysteriously “vanished,” along with the 239 people on board (227 passengers and 12 crew), while traveling to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014.

The global effort to find the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft began in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea before eventually extending to the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. The four-year search, which eventually became known as the most expensive aviation search in history for its $200 million cost, yielded no wreckage from the doomed flight.

According to retired British aerospace engineer and physicist Richard Godfrey, flight 370 could have fallen into the ocean about 1,200 miles (1,933 kilometers) west of Perth, Australia, and some 13,123 feet (4,000 meters) under the water in an area known as the “seventh arc.”

Godfrey determined the plane’s purported final destination by using Weak Signal Propagation Reporter analysis to monitor radio frequency disturbances the plane created around the world.

He pointed out the irregular patterns the aircraft made throughout its journey, such as the 360-degree turns it made over the ocean

In an interview with “60 Minutes Australia” on Sunday, Godfrey said, “Everyone has assumed up until now there was a straight path, perhaps even on autopilot. I believe there was an active pilot for the whole flight.”

Godfrey said such aircraft behavior shows pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah appears to have caused the plane to go off course deliberately, supporting a theory about the pilot’s alleged involvement in the crash

He revealed that the plane displayed an unusual holding pattern for around 20 minutes, about three hours into the flight. A pilot typically keeps the plane in the holding pattern within specified airspace, which happens when an aircraft is waiting for permission to leave or getting ready before a landing.

“He may have just simply wanted time to make up his mind, where he would go from here,” he told “60 Minutes Australia.” “I hope that if there was any contact with Malaysian authorities that after eight years now they’d be willing to divulge that.”

He then showed 160 points pinned on a map where radio frequency signals over the Indian Ocean were purportedly disturbed by MH370

In a statement, the ATSB wrote that Godfrey is a credible expert on the subject of MH370 and that it had ordered Geoscience Australia review its search data “to re-validate that no items of interest were detected” in the search area recommended by Godfrey. The Bureau concluded by saying that any further searches would be up to the Malaysian government, however.

“The ATSB acknowledges the importance of locating the aircraft to provide answers and closure to the families of those who lost loved ones,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell noted. “The ATSB remains an interested observer in all efforts to find the missing aircraft.

Featured Image via 60 Minutes Australia (left) CGTN (right)

MY THEORY IS THAT MH370 WAS TAKEN DOWN BY A WATERSPOUT

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Families of Malaysia Airlines plane crash victims call for new search

Relatives of passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 hold a sign reading "Malaysia Airlines MH370 cases" close to a court building in Beijing

- Copyright AFP Pedro PARDO

Ludovic EHRET

AFP
November 27, 2023

Relatives of dozens of Chinese passengers who died when a Malaysia Airlines plane disappeared almost 10 years ago called Monday for a new investigation, as a Beijing court began hearing their fresh appeal for compensation.

The MH370 jet vanished on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people — mostly from China — en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

More than 40 families have filed lawsuits against Malaysia Airlines, the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, engine maker Rolls Royce and Allianz insurance group, state broadcaster CCTV said.

The families’ litigation requests focus on compensation and finding the truth behind the flight’s disappearance, according to Zhang Qihuai, a lawyer quoted by CCTV.

Hardly any trace of the plane was found in a 120,000-square kilometre (46,000-square mile) Indian Ocean search zone, with only some pieces of debris picked up.

The Australian-led operation, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January 2017.

The families on Monday released an open letter addressed to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, calling for a new search for the missing aircraft on a “No find, No fee” basis.

“Our family members hope to search for flight MH370 on our own,” the letter said, adding “family members are willing to invest their own money or cooperate with capable individuals and companies”.

They asked for “effective communication” with the Malaysian government to kick off a new hunt.

Outside the court, many relatives were on the verge of tears as they recounted stories of their loved ones, some holding pieces of paper saying “restart the search” and “open, fair, impartial”.

Bao Lanfang lost her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter in the disaster, and her husband died last year.

“Personally, I do not care about the monetary compensation,” the 71-year-old told the media.

“What I want is that Malaysia Airlines gives me the truth. What happened to our loved ones?

“What I want now is for them to resume the search and the investigation.”

Malaysia’s transport ministry and Malaysia Airlines both declined to comment on the hearings.

– ‘Unbearable’-

It is unclear what jurisdiction the Chinese court has to enforce the claims for compensation against the defendants.

Each family filed for civil compensation of between 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) and 80 million yuan ($11.2 million), as well as moral damages of 30 million yuan ($4.2 million) to 40 million yuan ($5.6 million), CCTV reported.

The families of more than 110 other passengers have already reached a settlement with the defendants and received between 2.5 million and 3 million yuan, the broadcaster said.

Gathering outside the court on Monday despite freezing temperatures, relatives were keen to talk to journalists.

Jiang Hui, whose mother was on flight MH370, said the opening of the hearing was “very comforting, and it is a turning point”.

“The survival of the relatives during these 10 years, the deterioration of their living conditions… This really makes us very sad. So I hope that the legal relief can be realised as soon as possible. It is not difficult,” he said.

“Ten years have really been unbearable for us,” added Jiang.

The hearing was not listed on the court’s public website, but Jiang wrote on social media this month the court hearings would continue until mid-December.

– Unsolved mystery –

A US exploration firm launched a private hunt for MH370 in 2018, but it ended after several months of scouring the seabed without success.

The disappearance of the plane has long been the subject of a host of theories — ranging from the credible to outlandish — including that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.

In 2016, Malaysian officials revealed the pilot had plotted a path over the Indian Ocean on a home flight simulator but stressed this did not prove he deliberately crashed the plane.

A final report into the tragedy released in 2018 pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually.

But they failed to come up with any firm conclusions, leaving relatives angry and disappointed.

MY THEORY:

IT WAS SUCKED DOWN BY A WATER SPOUT IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Abbott says top Malaysian leaders suspected pilot of MH370

THIS IS A CONSPIRACY THEORY OF THE MALAYSIAN STATE

ENABLED BY THE RIGHT WING EX AUSSIE PM (HEY YA) ABBOTT

TRISTAN LAVALETTE Associated Press•February 19, 2020

Australia Malaysian Plane
FILE - In this March 4, 2017, file photo, a man writes a condolence message during the Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has claimed the “top levels” of the Malaysian government long suspected the vanishing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 almost six years ago was a mass murder-suicide by the pilot. (AP Photo/Daniel Chan, File)

THE DOWNING OF MH370 DID NOT HAVE A HUMAN CAUSE

IT WAS MOST LIKELY A WATERSPOUT

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said the “top levels” of the Malaysian government long suspected that the disappearance of a plane almost six years ago was a mass murder-suicide by the pilot.

Abbott was prime minister when Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 carrying 239 people vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Australia, working on Malaysia's behalf, coordinated what became the largest search in aviation history, but it failed to find the plane before being ended in 2017.

Speaking in a Sky News documentary to air on Wednesday and Thursday, Abbott said high-ranking Malaysian officials believed veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately downed the jet.

“My very clear understanding, from the very top levels of the Malaysian government is that from very, very early on, they thought it was murder-suicide by the pilot,” said Abbott, who was Australia’s prime minster from 2013-15.

“I'm not going to say who said what to whom, but let me reiterate, I want to be absolutely crystal clear, it was understood at the highest levels that this was almost certainly murder-suicide by the pilot.”

A Malaysian-led independent investigation report released in 2018 said the plane's course was changed manually but did not name a suspect and raised the possibility of “intervention by a third party.” Investigators, however, said the cause of the disappearance couldn't be determined until the wreckage and the plane's black boxes are found.

The Malaysian Ministry of Transport did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about the remarks from the former Australian leader.

Malaysia has had a change of government since the plane's disappearance, after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad ousted the government led by Najib Razak, whose party had ruled Malaysia since its independence in 1957.

The pilot's family has long denied he was suicidal. The 2018 investigative report said there was no evidence of abnormal behavior or stress in the two pilots and none of the passengers had pilot training.

Abbott said he did not believe conspiracy theories centered on the Malaysian government, which owns Malaysia Airlines.

“I’ve read all these stories that the Malaysians allegedly didn’t want the murder-suicide theory pursued because they were embarrassed about one of their pilots doing this. I have no reason to accept that,” he said.

The Australian-led search scoured 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) of the southern Indian Ocean and cost 200 million Australian dollars ($150 million). A private hunt by Texas-based company Ocean Infinity later searched more than 96,000 square kilometers (37,000 square miles) of sea.

Debris that washed ashore in the western Indian Ocean has been confirmed as coming from the missing Boeing 777 and indicated a broad expanse of the ocean where the plane likely crashed after running out of fuel.

Australia, Malaysia and China agreed in 2016 that an official search would only resume if the three countries had credible evidence that identified a specific location for the wreckage. Most of the passengers were Chinese.

Abbott believed a new investigation was warranted.

“Let's assume that it was murder-suicide by the pilot and if there is any part of that ocean that could have been reached on that basis that has not yet been explored, let's get out and explore it,” he said.

THE DOWNING OF MH370 DID NOT HAVE A HUMAN CAUSE IT WAS MOST LIKELY A WATERSPOUT

Malaysia suspected MH370 downed in murder-suicide: Aussie ex-PM

THIS IS A CONSPIRACY THEORY OF THE MALAYSIAN STATE ENABLED BY THE RIGHT WING EX AUSSIE PM (HEY YA) ABBOT

AFP•February 19, 2020

Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has claimed "very top" level Malaysian officials believed vanished Flight MH370 was deliberately downed by the captain in a mass murder-suicide.

The Malaysia Airlines jet vanished on March 8, 2014 carrying 239 people -- mostly from China -- en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

No sign of the plane was found in a 120,000-square kilometre (46,000-square mile) Indian Ocean search zone and the Australian-led search, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January 2017.

A US exploration firm launched a private hunt in 2018 but it ended after several months of scouring the seabed without success.

The disappearance of the plane has long been the subject of a host of theories -- ranging from the credible to outlandish -- including that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.

In an excerpt from a Sky News documentary airing Wednesday, Abbott claims he was told within a week of it vanishing that Malaysia believed the captain had intentionally downed the jet.

"My very clear understanding from the very top levels of the Malaysian government is that from very, very early on here, they thought it was murder-suicide by the pilot," he said.

"I'm not going to say who said what to whom but let me reiterate, I want to be absolutely crystal clear, it was understood at the highest levels that this was almost certainly murder-suicide by the pilot -- mass murder-suicide by the pilot."

Zaharie's family and friends have long strongly rejected such claims as baseless.

Malaysia's former premier Najib Razak, who was in power during the tragedy, said suspicions over the disappearance weren't made public and there was no proof that the pilot was responsible.

"It would have been deemed unfair and legally irresponsible since the black boxes and cockpit voice recorders had not been found," he told online portal Free Malaysia Today.

"There was no conclusive proof whether the pilot was solely or jointly responsible."

Najib said the scenario involving the pilot was "never ruled out" during the search for the plane.

Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the former head of Malaysia's civil aviation regulator, criticised Abbott's remarks and said there was not sufficient proof to support the idea.

"It is only a theory," Azharuddin, who led the regulator when Flight MH370 disappeared, told AFP.

"You do this speculation and it will hurt the next of kin. The family of the pilot will also feel very bad because you are making an accusation without any proof."

In 2016, Malaysian officials revealed the pilot had plotted a path over the Indian Ocean on a home flight simulator but stressed this did not prove he deliberately crashed the plane.

A final report into the tragedy released in 2018 pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually.

But they failed to come up with any firm conclusions, leaving relatives angry and disappointed.

Six passengers were Australian, including four from Queensland state, where Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this week suggested authorities may pursue an inquest into their deaths.

THE DOWNING OF MH370 DID NOT HAVE A HUMAN

Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.
SHERLOCK HOLMES AS CONAN DOYLE