What happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ?
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was a scheduled passenger flight that disappeared on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China. The aircraft was a Boeing 777-200ER with 239 people on board. The disappearance of MH370 remains one of the most mysterious and high-profile aviation incidents in history.
MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport a little after midnight local time en route to Beijing Capital Airport, about five and a half hours away. Less than an hour later, all contact with the aircraft was lost, leaving only some scattered raw data radar pings and intermittent satellite contact. A little understanding of the navigation and communications equipment on board is necessary to understand how unusual this is.
The aircraft's communication equipment included the following. Very High-Frequency (VHF) radios are used for voice communication between the aircraft and air traffic control. They allow pilots and controllers to exchange information about the flight, including clearances, instructions, and weather updates. High-frequency (HF) radios are used for long-range communication when the aircraft is flying over remote areas or long distances with limited VHF coverage. The plane was equipped with Satellite Communications (SATCOM) systems, allowing satellite signal communication. SATCOM systems are used for various purposes, including sending and receiving messages, weather updates, and aircraft position reporting. ACARS, or Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, is a digital data link system that allows for two-way communication between an aircraft and ground stations via radio or satellite links. ACARS transmits various types of data, including aircraft performance, system health data, and airline operational messages. ACARS can transmit the aircraft's position, speed, and altitude data to ground stations, enabling real-time flight tracking.
One of the most telling communications failures was that the transponders were switched off. This device, of which there were at least two on board, transmits the aircraft's identification and position to secondary radar systems. This made the aircraft difficult to paint on radar. These devices are never turned off, especially in flight. There is no reason to do so other than to hide one's position and altitude. Civilian transponders “squawk” a mode “3” which transmits position, and a mode “C” which transmits altitude. They can both be turned off with the simple turning of a rotator switch on the center console of the 777. ACARS was also disabled.
The next significant and unexpected event was a turn back towards Malaysia and a climb to approximately 45,000’. I’ve had several decades of flying large transport category aircraft, including over five years as a B-777 captain, and I’ve never been over 41,000’ in any of them. In fact, the max service ceiling in the 777 is only 43,100’. Why go this high? Only one reason makes any sense to me: whoever was flying the aircraft wanted to oxygen starve everyone else on board.
Commercial airliners like the Boeing 777 have oxygen masks that automatically deploy during rapid cabin depressurization. These masks are connected to chemical oxygen generators that release oxygen when activated, providing a limited supply, usually lasting 12 to 20 minutes. This duration is designed to ensure passengers and flight attendants have enough oxygen during the descent to a safe altitude with breathable air. These systems are of short duration as they only provide enough oxygen to get the aircraft below where supplemental oxygen is needed.
The concept of "time of useful consciousness" is important in this context. It refers to the period during which an individual can effectively perform tasks, think clearly, and make decisions in an oxygen-deprived environment. At an altitude as high as 45,000 feet, where the air is significantly thinner, the time of useful consciousness is incredibly brief, estimated at only 15 to 20 seconds. Survival becomes precarious after losing consciousness due to lack of oxygen, with fatal consequences within minutes.
Here's a scenario that I find pretty compelling. Only two pilots were on board: a captain and a first officer. There is also a cockpit door on passenger versions of the Boeing 777, which locks from the inside and is very difficult, if not impossible, to penetrate. Suppose one of the pilots went back to use the lavatory or get a coffee. Or perhaps, if the captain ordered him back to speak to the lead FA or some other seemingly benign task. It would be very easy to lock them out. The pilot at the controls now dons his oxygen mask. This mask is not at all like the passenger emergency masks. This mask is connected to an ample supply of oxygen and can be worn for a very long period of time.
Assuming he has evil intent, the pilot at the controls can depressurize the aircraft with the flip of a switch. The cabin altitude quickly goes from 5-7 thousand feet pressure altitude to an ambient altitude of 45,000’. As the pressure drops, the emergency oxygen masks deploy. Or, thinking ahead, the perpetrator has already deactivated the emergency oxygen system. Either way, it’s only a matter of minutes before everyone in the back is dead.
While waiting for all life to cease in back, the pilot at the controls proceeds to make the aircraft as invisible as possible. He turns off transponders and pulls circuit breakers on ACARS, SATCOM, and anything else he can think of. When he’s sure everyone in back is dead, he begins the second stage of his plan, which is to disappear. What data that does exist tells us is that the aircraft, after descending, makes its way back west over the Malaysian peninsula and turns out over Penang. An island off the west coast and, coincidentally, the boyhood home of the captain. He then flies northwest off the north coast of Indonesia and finally southwest out over the Indian Ocean.
The last communication with the aircraft was a satellite handshake that provided a series of "ping" signals. This data indicated that the aircraft continued to fly for several hours after disappearing from radar. Over the following years, several pieces of debris confirmed to be from MH370 were found on various shores in the western Indian Ocean. These pieces consisted of wing flaps. These discoveries confirmed that the aircraft had crashed into the ocean.
At this point in the story, I’d like to bring to the recollection of the reader the Air France crash, which occurred just a few years earlier. Air France Flight 447 crashed on June 1, 2009, during a flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France. The Airbus A330-203 aircraft experienced a high-altitude stall and crashed into the South Atlantic Ocean, resulting in the loss of all 228 people on board.
The crash was attributed to various factors, including unreliable airspeed readings due to ice crystals blocking the aircraft's pitot tubes, confusion among the flight crew, and the aircraft's departure from controlled flight due to a stall. The pilots' response to the stall was inconsistent with standard procedures, and their inputs led to a deep stall from which recovery was impossible. Why do I bring this up? The wreckage from this crash was found immediately as the debris field was miles across. Why was no similar debris field found on MH-370?
The only logical explanation is that the aircraft didn’t crash but was water-landed. The pilot was, likely by now, the only living person on board, as he had donned his emergency oxygen mask before depressurizing the aircraft and climbing to 45,000’. After descending to avoid radar and flying many miles out over the south Indian Ocean, he extended full flaps, at least one of which broke off on contact with the water, and landed gear up on the surface. Having opened up his cabin pressure controllers, the aircraft quickly filled with water and went to the bottom wholly intact, never to be found. The average depth of the South Indian Ocean is 13,000 to 16,400 feet. Vast abyssal plains, deep-sea trenches, and underwater mountain ranges characterize the ocean floor in this area. Finding the wreckage would be a miracle. The idea that all of this occurred without the meticulous planning of a knowledgeable perpetrator would be equally remarkable.
The Malaysian government led the investigation, and several theories were considered regarding the cause of the disappearance, including mechanical failure, pilot actions, terrorism, and more. However, the exact circumstances leading to the disappearance could not be definitively determined. In July 2018, the Malaysian government released a final report that concluded the investigation. While it did not offer a definitive explanation for the disappearance, it did provide a comprehensive overview of the known facts and the search efforts conducted.
The disappearance of MH370 remains a topic of intense debate and speculation, with questions about the exact sequence of events and the reasons behind the deviation from the flight path. Despite the recovery of some debris, the main wreckage and critical pieces of evidence have not been found, leaving many unanswered questions surrounding this tragic incident.
