"Good Night Malaysian Three-Seven-Zero.” These were the last words recorded on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. 239 human beings with their own lives, their own family, and their dreams. All disappeared, into nothing. On the night of March 7th, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was never seen again. The last radio transmission was recorded at 1:17 am, and the flight was tracked via military radar for a short period. It was reported to have taken a sharp turn westward shortly after the last radio transmission, flown southwest, and was said to have crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Even nearly 10 years later, minimal evidence has been found from MH370, and the black box, a crucial component in the aircraft that records all flight activity, was never found. Though many theories exist, from the information I currently possess, it leads me to believe that the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was caused by a fire onboard the aircraft, which ultimately led to the disappearance. Some theorists also provide information to claim that there were other possible causes, such as the pilot committing mass suicide due to many reasons in his personal life.
To start, with the facts and information currently available, I can conclude that an onboard fire was the cause of the downfall of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. This can be proven via multiple sources, with a highly reliable point being established by Gale in Context. They provide evidence that “an electrical fire could have knocked out the communication system, and smoke could have overcome the crew before they had a chance to control the situation. If the crew could not fly the plane due to smoke inhalation, the aircraft could have simply flown on autopilot until it ran out of fuel” (Gale 6). This evidence proves the fact that there might have been attempts by the pilots to take an emergency flight landing at the nearest airport, as they turned their heading drastically to the direction of the closest airport. However, they may have fallen unconscious due to the fire and been unable to fly the aircraft, which is what could have been the cause of the odd flight path.
To further support the theory that fire was the final downfall of MH370, TIME, a very reputable source, makes an amazing argument. According to TIME, “A fire could also explain the reported fluctuations in the aircraft’s altitude – perhaps the pilots as a last-ditch effort tried to suffocate the flames in the thin air at 45,000 feet. Smoke may also have hindered them from seeing their controls clearly and fire may have damaged the computers so that crew commands were not carried out correctly” (Liljas 10). This explanation is very helpful because it clarifies the possibility that the strange altitude variation could be related to the fire's smoke. A higher altitude produces thinner air, which makes it exponentially easier to extinguish a fire. Additionally, TIME produces even more evidence to support the theory of a fire on MH370, by mentioning that “Once the course had been altered, the fire could have melted electronic wire bundles, causing cyanide gas to be pumped through the cockpit and cabin, rendering everyone unconscious (oxygen masks don’t help since cyanide gas can be absorbed through the skin), and leaving the aircraft heading along its path until it ran out of fuel. (Liljas 3)” This quote from TIME discusses the aftermath of the fire and the possibilities that resulted in the eventual downfall of the plane, such as how the cyanide gas from the electric wires can be absorbed through the skin, resulting in unconsciousness.
Though there is enough information to confidently speculate why Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was brought down by a fire, disproving other theories is also important to narrow down the information provided. To disprove the possibility of other theories, Britannica, a very trustworthy source provides good information on why the possibility of a hijacking is improbable. They mentioned in paragraph 7 that ¨it seemed unlikely that hijackers would have flown the plane to the southern Indian Ocean¨ (Britannica 1). This proves that an outsider hijacking was simply unlikely, and the flight path does not match up to anything a hijacker would reasonably do. Additionally, no terrorist organization was linked to the disappearance, and no organization came forward and established them or another organization at fault.
Many theories have been speculated here and there throughout the investigation of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and though I confidently believe that a fire was the cause of the flight disappearing, a very popular alternative theory, was that the pilot of the MH370, Zaharie Ahmad Shah was aiming to commit a mass-suicide. To back up this theory, many sources, including the reliable news outlet Reuters, interviewed the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, who was in office when the disappearance of MH370 occurred. Najib Razak, the former PM mentioned, “Again I must stress that this possible scenario was never ruled out during the search effort and investigations, where no effort was spared” (Reuters 7). This too was not the only evidence that was mentioned in the article that supports this alternative theory! The former Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, who was also in office when the disappearance of MH370 happened, made a statement about the possibility of a pilot-originated mass suicide. Tony Abbot mentioned that his “very clear understanding from the very top levels of the Malaysian government is that from very, very early on here, they thought it was a murder-suicide by the pilot”(Reuters 3).
No sole theory may ever be confirmed for the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, though that has never stopped people. Each theory may have its pros and cons, facts and opinions, but at the end of the day, it's just a theory, right? Nonetheless, my interpretation of the facts of MH370 leads me to believe that the fire was the underlying cause of the disappearance of 239 passengers from the skies. This can easily be proven by many pieces of evidence, such as the fact that the plane had burn marks on multiple parts found, the plane turned to fly to the nearest airport, and the possibility that the pilots fell unconscious due to the fire, causing the odd flight path. So although other theories may exist, as they always do, possibly with just as much evidence to prove them, I believe that with the information that I possess, I conclude that the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines was caused by a fire, though, we may never know the true cause of this cold case, that has left detectives disoriented for nearly 10 years.
Works Cited
Gregersen, Erik. “Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Disappearance - Possible Causes of the Aircraft’s Disappearance | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2022, www.britannica.com/event/Malaysia-Airlines-flight-370-disappearance/Possible-causes-of-the-aircrafts-disappearance. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.
Latiff, Rozanna. “Malaysia Never Ruled out “Murder-Suicide Plot” by MH370 Pilot, Says Former PM Najib.” U.S., 19 Feb. 2020, www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-airlines-mh370/malaysia-never-ruled-out-murder-suicide-plot-by-mh370-pilot-says-former-pm-najib-idUSKBN20D1KE. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.
“Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Disappearance - Document - Gale in Context: Middle School.” Gale.com, 2015, go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T001&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&hitCount=3&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=2&docId=GALE%7CCX3622600067&docType=Event+overview&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZMID-MOD1&prodId=MSIC&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3622600067&searchId=R2&userGroupName=j043905057&inPS=true. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024.
Per Lijas. “New Theory Sees Possible Fire on Missing Jet.” Time, Time, 19 Mar. 2014,
time.com/29846/onboard-fire-may-explain-mh370-disappearance/. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024.
Comments