Theories behind the disappearance of MH370

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 two years ago sparked a flurry of theories on the fate of the Boeing 777 passenger flight.

Initial confusion and conflicting reports by Malaysian authorities had further convinced critics that the aircraft’s unexplainable disappearance appeared to hide possible conspiracies.

Four of the most popular theories behind why and what caused the plane to disappear are, in no particular order:

Terrorist attack

Shortly after the aircraft went missing, several international news agencies reported that MH370 could have been a victim of a terrorist attack.

Theories went rife that the plane was hijacked and forced to land in Afghanistan, where its crew and passengers were held.

However, investigations over the past two years have not found any evidence that the plane was hijacked.

Pilot suicide

One recurring explanation for the sudden disappearance of MH370 is pilot suicide.

Officials involved in the investigation say they have not ruled out the possibility that the plane was fully controlled right until the very end, implicating either captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah or co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid as suspects in the suicide theory.

While Malaysian officials have dismissed pilot suicide as a possible reason, saying there has not been any conclusive evidence to back it up, Martin Dolan, chief investigator from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said they would revisit the suicide theory.

Fire

Another widely held theory is that there was a fire on board that killed everyone but burned out before damaging the exterior of the plane.

This theory would support the reason why the aircraft would fly such a long distance off-course on auto-pilot.

Shot down

Another popular theory at the time that MH370 went missing was that it was shot down by the US military as it approached Diego Garcia, a US military base in the Indian Ocean.

According to Marc Dugain, the former head of French company, Proteus Airline, the plane could have been mistaken for being a 9/11-style terrorist attack.

Dugain's theories have been rubbished by US officials, and he said he had been warned by the British intelligence to stop exploring.

Other more outlandish theories range from alien abduction to the aircraft being hijacked to North Korea.

But as the plane remains missing two years on, the only concrete evidence about MH370 is the discovery of a flaperon on the French island of reunion last July.

Investigators are also looking into the discovery of another piece of debris last week, believed to be a part of the ill-fated plane.

But with investigations expected to officially end in June this year, family and friends fear their wait for the full truth behind the mystery of MH370 will continue for much longer. – March 8, 2016.