Malaysian Flight 370 Conspiracy by Abigail Spooner

           

How is it possible for a plane full of more than 200 passengers and crew to disappear into thin air? Was it a product of a corrupt government? Something supernatural? These are all questions that form the conspiracy theory around the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. In 2014, the plane left Kuala Lumpur on course to Beijing but mysteriously never landed at its’ destination. What happened to the aircraft? Why has there been so little media coverage over the disappearance? Let’s take a look and uncover this unsettling tale. 

            Zaharie Ahmad Shah was the 53-year-old, native Malaysian, veteran pilot in command of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. He was the top of his class and had connections that made James Bond look like an introvert. He was married with three children (Guy Birchall 1) and was considered accomplished and trustworthy. With around 18,423 hours of flight (Guy Birchall 1) under his belt there was no question of his loyalty to his country and his people. On paper, he was perfect. A family man, smart, kind, charismatic, and had a shining record, that is until he snapped. 

Zaharie’s marriage was crumbling leading up to the plane’s disappearance. His wife, Faizah Khanum Mustafa Khan, and daughter, Aishah Zaharie, claimed that he was “distracted and withdrawn in the weeks before the aircraft’s disappearance – and refused pleas to attend some marriage counselling sessions.” ('He wasn't the father I knew. He was lost and disturbed': Daughter of MH370 pilot raises alarming new questions about his state of mind in weeks before plane's disappearance 1) Zaharie reportedly retreated into his room where “he had installed an elaborate Microsoft flight simulator. He flew it frequently, and often posted to online forums about his hobby.” (William Langwiesche, 1) He became resigned and isolated in the days leading up to the crash. It was apparent that he wasn’t in his right mind. 

Something was off about Zaharie. In the year prior to the planes disappearance he continuously harassed and borderline stalked two Malaysian models, Lan Qi Hui and Qi Min Lan, with sexually suggestive Facebook comments all while being married with a wife and kids (The MH370 captain, the twin sister models and some VERY creepy messages: How 53-year-old married pilot of doomed Malaysia Airlines flight bombarded young Instagram stars with Facebook posts 1). He also made comments about the Malaysian Prime Minister at the time, Najib Razark, Alex Chapman for Daily Mail Australia reported: “In April 2013, leading up to the Malaysian elections, Zaharie posted 119 times, all in reflection of his disgust with the Naijb government. The following month, after the Najib party secured another five-year term, Zaharie wrote: 'There is a rebel in each and every one of us. Let it out!'” (Alex Chapman 1). Zaharie;s internet footprint is an alarming and unnerving sight to see. He was blatantly anti-government and seemed to have no fear of any consequences that could come out of his actions. He was obviously confident in his role as a senior pilot and had no problem speaking his political views, regardless of the weight and responsibility of his job.

Numerous theories have stemmed from Zaharie’s questionable choices. The planes disappearance was obviously intentional, but what was the reason? Was it an act of terrorism? A political statement? His grand finale after years of isolation and depression? His character is complex and unsettling. An upstanding citizen from most, but a predator and creep from others. 

            The first conspiracy theory surprisingly has nothing to do with our leading character, Zaharie Ahmad Shah. This theory is the least far-fetched and has a completely logical explanation. Aviation expert, Christine Negroni, has suggested that “the tragic jet's demise may have been caused by a sudden depressurizing of the cabin killing everybody on board.” (Meyjes 1) the conspiracy is that co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, oversaw the controls while Captain Shah was on a break. The plane depressurized, killing all passengers and crew within 15 minutes except for Shah and Hamid, due to them being in the heavily insulated cockpit. The lack of oxygen led to a series of loopy-brained choices made by the two men, ultimately crashing the plane. (Meyjes 1)

The second conspiracy theory is not that far of a reach. It’s believed that the plane was crashed intentionally by Shah because he wanted to “create the world’s greatest mystery” (Malaysia Airlines MH370: 15 conspiracy theories 1) Leading up to the crash Shah had made comments about how interested he was with mysteries and its not that surprising because he did have a flight simulator of the exact path the flight ended up taking in a bedroom of his home. This was no coincidence. Shah planned this for months in advance.

The last conspiracy theory is, undoubtably, the most interesting. Aliens. Alien abduction. All evidence aside, or lack-there-of, this conspiracy is the most intriguing. Alexandra Bruce form Forbidden Knowledge TV (Malaysia Airlines MH370: 15 conspiracy theories 1) looked at the planes radar moments before the crash. In her analysis she claims to have seen some sort of spec or blip on the radar and her only explanation was of course, aliens. This is the most stretched conspiracy, but it is a little bit better than believing one man killed over 200 people just to go down in the mystery hall of fame.

Malaysian Flight 370 is still a mystery. There are many theories over how or why it disappeared, and we may never find out. But what we do know is that it was a tragedy. Over 200 innocent people died whether it was at the hands of one man, or just because of a small mistake. Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a challenged man. He was angry and obviously had a hidden agenda. This is a story of great mystery but also a story of a lack of responsibility. The Malaysian government overlooked controversial comments made by Shah because of his seniority in the aviation world. Let this be a reminder of trust and responsibility. 

Work Cited

Birchall, Guy. “Who Was Zaharie Ahmad Shah? MH370 Pilot Who Was in Command of the Malaysian Airlines Jet When It Vanished.” The Sun, The Sun, 18 June 2019, www.thesun.co.uk/news/7483593/zaharie-ahmad-shah-mh370-pilot-malaysian-airlines/. 

Chapman, Alex. “The MH370 Captain, the Twin Sister Models and Some VERY Creepy Messages: How 53-Year-Old Married Pilot of Doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight Bombarded Young Instagram Stars with Facebook Posts.” The MH370 Captain, the Twin Sister Models and Some VERY Creepy Messages: How 53-Year-Old Married Pilot of Doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight Bombarded Young Instagram Stars with Facebook Posts, 2018, www.msn.com/en-ph/news/world/the-mh370-captain-the-twin-sister-models-and-some-very-creepy-messages-how-53-year-old-married-pilot-of-doomed-malaysia-airlines-flight-bombarded-young-instagram-stars-with-facebook-posts/ar-AAAwjcs. 

“Daughter of MH370 Pilot Raises Alarming New Questions about His State of Mind.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 30 Mar. 2014, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2592436/He-wasnt-father-I-knew-He-lost-disturbed-Daughter-MH370-pilot-raises-alarming-new-questions-state-mind-weeks-planes-disappearance.html. 

Langewiesche, William. “What Really Happened to Malaysia's Missing Airplane.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 1 July 2019, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/07/mh370-malaysia-airlines/590653/. 

(Image: ENTERPRISE NEWS AND, et al. “MH370 Co-Pilot 'Only Person Left Alive and Flew Ghost Plane on Own for Hours'.” Mirror, 18 Feb. 2019, www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/mh370-co-pilot-flew-ghost-14013676. 

“Malaysia Airlines MH370: 15 Conspiracy Theories.” The Week UK, 16 Oct. 2019, www.theweek.co.uk/mh370/58037/mh370-conspiracy-theories-what-happened-to-the-missing-plane.