After over a week of investigations and over 20 countries joining the search, the fate of Malaysian Airlines flight 370 is still a mystery. The flight, after departing from Kuala Lumpur, went missing about an hour after takeoff, but there was enough fuel on the plane to last for eight hours. After extensive searches around the area of the last known radar position, the search area has been changed to two “corridors” that show the potential routes of the plane after it disappeared. The northern route stretches from northern Thailand to Kazakstan, and the southern goes from Indonesia to off west of Australia.
Nearly a week after the plane went missing, it was confirmed that a satellite signal came from the plane seven hours and 31 minutes after takeoff, discrediting the notion that contact was lost with the plane due to a fatal crash. Malaysian Investigators have now concluded that the airliner was hijacked. Two of the main communication systems on the plane were disabled, including the data link and transponders which send vital information about the plane, just before it disappeared from civilian radar. Investigators have begun looking into the passengers, flight crew, and pilots for motives in the hijacking. The pilot and co-pilot of the plane are under in-depth investigation because of the skill and sophisticated handling it would have required to fly the plane. Investigators are looking at the possibility of pilot suicide, but it has not been released what they found when they searched the pilots’ homes. Several other unsettling details have been discovered in the investigation, such as the fact that two passengers boarded the plane with stolen passports. However, no significant leads have been found as a motive for the hijacking.
Even with all of the information that has been discovered about the disappearance, we still may never solve the mystery of the disappearance of this plane. Even as some countries have expressed their aggravation with the Malaysian government for delaying parts of the investigation and the release of information, the international effort to find the plane and its passengers continues to intensify. Here at Her Campus Bryant, we are praying for safe return of the passengers and crew of MH370 and keeping their loved ones in our hearts.
Sources:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-where-the-search-stands-now/