There are things in life that cannot be explained-- the Bermuda Triangle and the Stonehenge are just some that continue to bewilder people up to today. In more recent years, the sudden disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 (along with its passengers and crew members) remains a mystery.
The plane has been missing for nearly a decade and we are nowhere near answers, let alone, finding the missing plane or passengers. The disapperance of the plane has been shrouded in a number of conspiracy theories, yet none seem to hold any truth to them.
Netflix has released a new docuseries that explores one of the unsolved mysteries of the aviation industry. MH370: The Plane That Disappeared is a limited series consisting of only three episodes and launched just in time for the ninth anniversary of the plane's disappearance. If you've watched the show, you probably have several questions, which we'll attempt to answer here.
MH370: What Happened?
Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 was on its red-eye flight from Kuala Lumper to Beijing on March 8, 2014 with a total of 239 passengers and crew on board. Just moments after the plane took off, air traffic controllers were shocked to see that the plane disappeared from their radar screens. There wasn't any distress call or any explanation how the plane could have suddenly vanished into thin air.
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared is a re-telling of that horrifying incident and how the families of the missing plane never got the answers they are looking for. The show also unveils the different conspiracy theories and accusations that have since emerged since the plane's disappearance nine years ago.
Coincidentally, another Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down by a Russian missile just a few months after MH370's disappearance. This led conspiracy theorists to assume the earlier plane met a similar fate, especially since recent reports confirm there were "strong indications" that Russian heads of state approved the attack. Russia has since denied this.
MH370 Conspiracy Theories
The docuseries addresses the conspiracy by inviting experts to talk about the chances of two aircrafts from one airline to crash in just a few months from each other. Other conspiracy theories were also talked about in the show, including the following:
- North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, hijacked the plane so the aircraft and its technology can be studied (via Daily Star)
- The flight crew deliberately flew or hijacked the plane to British territory, Diego Garcia (via Jacksonville.com)
- A terrorist attack "cyber hijacked" the plane using a cellphone onboard the plane (via Express)
- The captain hijacked the plane because he was psychologically and mentally unstable at the time of the flight (via Malaysia Chronicle)
- A black hole consumed MH370 (via Yahoo! News)
- A meteor struck down the plane (via CNN)
These are just some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the disappearance of MH370.
Are They Still Searching for MH370?
After reports of the plane's disappearance, officials conducted an investigation that lasted three whole years. After 16 months into the search, they found a large section of the plane on the shore off an East African Coast. Both Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and experts confirmed that the wreckage was a part of the MH370. Journalists and family members, however, are skeptical of this.
In episode three of MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, it was revealed that the search for the aircraft officially ended in 2017. Despite this, many independent investigators and experts in the aviation industry continue to look for answers. Jeff Wise, a journalist interviewed in the limited series, says that as long as the aircraft is not located, "the entire aviation industry has an asterisk next to it."
Is MH370 Case Solved?
Although the aircraft and the bodies of its passengers continue to be missing today, there are reports that believe they have solved the mystery of MH370.
According to British engineer, Richard Godfrey, and American wreckage hunter, Blaine Gibson, the discovered debris of the aircraft suggest that it was deliberately downed by its pilot, 53-year-old Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah. The Godfrey-Gibson report read (via AirlineRatings.com)
"The level of damage with fractures on all sides and the extreme force of the penetration right through the debris item lead to the conclusion that the end of the flight was in a high-speed dive designed to ensure the aircraft broke up into as many pieces as possible. The crash of MH370 was anything but a soft landing on the ocean."
The theory was made after the discovered debris revealed the landing gear was down when the aircraft hit the ocean. This led experts to believe the pilot intended to destroy the plane.
Were Any Bodies Recovered From MH370?
Despite thorough search operations that lasted for years, MH370 was never found, nor were the dead bodies of its pasengers. And perhaps, this is what pains the family members of the victims the most-- that they never get a closure from the disappearance of their loved ones.
Even though plane debris continue to wash ashore, there aren't any conclusive claims or evidence that prove they are part of MH370. The plane's black box has also never been found.
Who’s Part of MH370: The Plane That Disappeared Cast?
Science journalist, Jeff Wise, wrote a piece on the plane's disappearance entitled The Plane That Wasn't There: Why We Haven't Found MH370 is one of the people interviewed in the docuseries. He is joined by foreign correspondent/reporter Florence de Changy and several family members of the victims.
Louise Malkinson, the director of the show, says:
"[The families] want people to keep talking about this. The families want a platform to be able to say, 'Come on, it's been nine years.' They were all united on that."
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared Trailer
Netflix released the trailer for MH370: The Plane That Disappeared last February, just in time for its release on March 8, 2023. You can watch the trailer here:
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared currently is available to stream on Netflix.
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