Zarahi Shah and Malaysian Flight 370

Zarahi Shah and Malaysian Flight 370

            On March 8, 2014, 277 passengers and 12 crew members boarded Malaysian Flight 370, not knowing that they wouldn’t make it to their final destination to Beijing (Jansen 1). A long Boeing 777 with red and blue stripes went missing in thin air (Lusher 1). Since the apparent crash, several conspiracy theories have surfaced:

1. The pilot Zarahi Shah, was suicidal.

2. The plane was hijacked.

3. The plane caught on fire.

Let’s look at the disappearance of Malaysian Flight 370 to uncover what happened to it and its passengers.

Character Analysis

            Zarahi Shah, a fifty-three-year-old cadet pilot, became a possible suspect of a mass murder mystery soon after the disappearance of Malaysian Flight 370 (Moran 1). A "New York Daily News" photograph shows a bald-headed, confident, smiling, Malaysian man sitting in front of an airplane simulator preparing for another trip (1).  A brother, father of three, a great friend, and husband looked from the outside as if he was flying high in life. Although, suspicions have risen that personal turmoil may have existed (1).

            Captain Shah had fifteen years of flight experience and had been with the same airline since 1981 (McKirdy 1). Other aviators respected him for his extreme professionalism and his service as a mentor to younger pilots ("Who Are the Pilots of Flight MH370" 1). When it came to practicing, Shah was enamored to perfect the art of flying (1). He was considered a "geek" for creating his very own airplane simulator in his home away from the clouds (1). Not only did he hold a steady job and a valuable reputation, Shah was also known for his DIY skills around the homes of close family members (Holmes 1).  In the article, "MH370 Pilot's Sister: My Brother Loved Life," Zarahi's sister, Sakinab Shah states, "My home and the homes of my sisters and brothers are not short of the things that remind us of him every day; framed pictures, leaking windows now repaired, and a fish pond leveled up and nicely tiled (1)." Friends and family viewed Zarahi Shah as having a huge, helping heart (1). He was passionate about flying, but family always came first (1).

            Family man traits seemed to contradict rumors that surfaced about an extra marital affair (Huffadine 1).  Weeks before the vanishing of Flight MH370, Shah developed a romantic relationship with a married woman, Fatima Pardi (1).  Being the loving man that he was, Shah established a strong bond with Pardi's children just as he had with his own (1). Shah's wife learned of the affair and apparently had filed for divorce, packed up and left the house taking their kids (1). Did the internal conflict of adultery distract this young pilot from the flight?  Shah seemed to have the stereotypical life of a Malaysian. However, no information has been found on Shah's faith. There is 60.4 percent of Malaysians that practice Islam (Hays 1).  In the Islamic Quran, Allah believes adultery as a major sin, he states, “Do not go near adultery, surely it is an indecency, and an evil way of fulfilling sexual urge (Beekun 1)."  According to a close friend, Shah was not coping well with the news of the appending divorce and was in no shape to fly a plane in his current state of mind (Moran 1). Being a man of probable Islamic faith, he would have realized that he would have been forgiven for his sin (Beekun 1). Even though the relationship had apparently ended, documents proved that Shah texted Pardi two days prior to flight MH370 regarding personal content (Huffadine 1). Pardi has refused to answer any investigative questions (1). She simply stated that their conversation was personal and did not want to hurt the family (1). Was Shah flying with a broken heart? If the accusations are true, he knowingly jeopardized the lives of 289 innocent people (Jansen 1).

            It is beyond belief that a pilot with such stellar reputation would tragically end his own life, much less the lives of others. Was he truly that depressed or could something else have caused this horrific mystery?

Conspiracy Descriptions (Main Ideas and Details with Survey Results)

            In the case of the missing Malaysian Flight 370, several conspiracies have surfaced. These include: the pilot Zarahi Shah was suicidal, the plane was hijacked forcing it to crash in the Indian Ocean, or the plane caught on fire due to an emergency on board. Although not enough physical evidence of Flight 370 has been found, facts surrounding the mass murder mystery support only one theory.

            The first theory proposes that Captain Zarahi Shah was faced with personal conflict, causing him to take his own life, and the lives of 289 innocent people (Jansen 1). The possibility exist that Shah was not in his right frame of mind at the time of the apparent mishap. It is possible that Shah may have suffered depression due to a pending divorce, and his children moving out of the house (Huffadine 1). It is unlikely that this educated, unselfish man would intentionally take a plane down. His care for others was apparent in his duties day to day. He was educated and could afford therapy, or even a lawyer that would help him secure parental custody to spend time with his children who he cared for dearly. Theoretically, his Islamic faith would allow him to understand that his sin could be forgiven. Although, this conspiracy theory is a highly unlikely way to commit suicide. The radar did not show an immediate descent. The plane approximately flew for an hour and a half (Westcott 1). In most cases of pilot suicides, although rare, it would happen at a much faster pace by just simply directing the plane towards the ground and crashing it. The suicide theory came to people's mind at a fast pace since there has been no evidence of an outside plot. There has been no evidence on social media, or any one person or group claiming responsibility (1).

            The second conspiracy suggests that Captain Zarahi Shah hijacked Malaysian Flight 370 on purpose. FBI agents swarmed the house of Shah and family a couple days after flight MH370 went off the map (Schapiro 1). Investigators found Shah’s in home simulator that he built containing hard drives, recordings, and suspicious plane routes mapped before the disappearing flight (1). One route showed a path leading into the immense Indian Ocean (1). Today, FBI agents are still trying to restore files that were deleted on February 3, 2014, about a month before this tragic disaster (1).  Shah was known for his professionalism and his service in mentoring young pilots (Who Are the Pilots of MH370? 1). The simulator that was found in his home could have been used to help train these pilots in both routine and emergency situations. The path that showed the route to the Indian Ocean could have been mere coincidence. He may have tried to explain to other pilots how to act when put in that same eerie situation. The path that was identified on Shah's simulator was not the exact path that Flight 370 took (1). There is no hard evidence that supports this theory.

            The last conspiracy theory points to the emergency fire on Flight MH370. Mick Gilbert, an Australian plane enthusiast, hypothesized that the aircraft crashed into the Indian Ocean, shortly after contacting traffic control for a successful takeoff (Lambert 1). Gilbert claims that a windshield heater failure and a leaking oxygen system caused the fire and was the reason for the initial deviation from the flight path (1). According to Gilbert, some Boeings like the MH370 were experiencing windshield heater failure between the 1990's and 2000's (1). Even though articles from the plane have not been recovered, a piece of debris that is believed to be a part of Flight 370 shows burn marks (1). Gilbert also found that just two months prior to flight, maintenance records indicated oxygen pressure was dropping at an alarming speed (1). A fire with the windshield heater system would immediately cause depressurization in the cockpit (1). Once the cockpit is depressurized, a safety mechanism then unlocks the door to the cabin which would depressurize that area as well leading to death for passengers within 20 to 25 minutes (1). The pilot or copilot may have still be consciously aware to initiate deep breathing (1). Unfortunately, the fire may have caused all communication to be halted and the existing pilot had no ability to contact officials (1).  Gilbert speculates that the pilot or co-pilot acted as a true hero (1). The reason behind his theory is that if the plane would have continued for just 20 more minutes it would have been close to the North Sumatra province of Indonesia where five million people reside (1). The belief is that he steered the plane to the least area of concern for civilization and let the plane run out of fuel (1). Many eye-witnesses claimed to have seen flight MH370 that day (Martinez 1). Mostly fishermen, said that they saw the plane flying relatively low, some seeing a burning red object in the sky, and others saying they officially saw it crash into the Indian Ocean (1). The evidence for this conspiracy forms possibilities that seem more likely than the previously discussed theories. 

            The most likely scenario to solve this mystery case is that Malaysian Flight 370 caught fire.  Although strong evidence is lacking for this case, there are eyewitnesses that account for the fire.  In a survey conducted by random Twitter followers, 55% vote that fire was unlikely. The remaining 45% do believe that Flight 370 crashed due to an on board fire.

Conclusion  

            Malaysian Flight 370 took a turn for the worse on March 8, 2014 (Jansen 1). The long red and blue striped Boeing 777, still remains missing to this day (Lusher 1). The disappearance has developed into three conspiracy theories:

1. The pilot Zarahi Shah, was suicidal.

2. The plane was hijacked.

3. The plane caught fire.

 Almost four years ago, family, friends, and loved ones were lost due to this tragic disaster. However, not enough physical evidence has been found to solve this case, it is likely the plane caught fire. Today, this mystery case still remains unsolved.

Works Cited

S Beekun, Dr. Rafik. “Islam and Extra-Marital Affairs in the Workplace.” The Islamic Workplace, New York: The Free Press., 23 May 2013, theislamicworkplace.com/2012/04/17/islam-and-extra-marital-affairs-in-the-workplace/.

S Hays, Jeffrey. “RELIGION IN MALAYSIA.” Facts and Details, Jeffery Hays, 2013, factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Malaysia/sub5_4c/entry-3154.html.

S Holmes, Oliver. “MH370 Pilot's Sister: 'My Brother Loved Life'.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 17 Jan. 2017, www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/17/mh370-pilot-sister-my-brother-loved-life-zaharie-ahmad-shah.

S Huffadine for Daily Mail Australia, Leith. “Did MH370 Pilot Crash the Plane over a Broken Heart?” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 6 Sept. 2016, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3776236/MH370-pilot-sent-WhatsApp-message-married-woman-two-days-flight-disappeared.html.

S Jansen, Bart. “Satellite Images of Ocean Debris Suggest 3 Places to Search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.” USA Today,16 Aug. 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/08/16/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-scientists-potentially-narrow-search-area-3-spots/571637001/. Accessed 15 October 2017.

S Lambert, Olivia. “New Theory Suggests MH370 Pilot Was a Hero.” NewsComAu, 14 Nov. 2016, www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/australian-aviation-enthusiast-comes-up-with-plausible-theory-about-mh370s-fate/news-story/adffe907d99c2e049eae9d6d86ab2117.

S Lusher, Adam. "As MH370 Conspiracy Theories Continue to Swirl, Why Has Compelling New Evidence Not Revived the Search?" Independent, 26 April 2017. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/mh370-missing-malaysia-airlines-plane-latest-new-evidence-development-conspiracy-theories-what-a7703531.html. Accessed 15 October 2017.

S Martinez, Michael. “Several Ground Witnesses Claim They Saw Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.” CNN, Cable News Network, 20 Mar. 2014, www.cnn.com/2014/03/19/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane-ground-witnesses/index.html.

S McKirdy, Euan. “MH370: Captain's Home Simulator Had Indian Ocean Course Plotted.” CNN, Cable News Network, 28 July 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/07/28/asia/mh370-pilot-flight-simulator/index.html.

S Moran, Lee, and Corky Siemaszko. “Flight 370 Pilot in ‘No State’ to Be Flying: Friend.” NY Daily News, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, 26 Mar. 2014, www.nydailynews.com/news/world/flight-370-pilot-friend-shouldn-flying-article-1.1734998.

S Schapiro, Rich. “Doomed Malaysia Airlines Pilot Practiced Ocean Crash in Simulator.” NY Daily News, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, 22 July 2016, www.nydailynews.com/news/world/doomed-malaysia-airlines-pilot-practiced-ocean-crash-simulator-article-1.2722006.

S Westcott, Richard. “Flight MH370: Could It Have Been Suicide?” BBC News, BBC, 16 Apr. 2015, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31736835.

S “Who Are the Pilots of Flight MH370?” BBC News, BBC, 27 Mar. 2014, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26628684.