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And suddenly the Malaysia Airlines plane was gone: March 8 marks the tenth anniversary of the mystery surrounding flight MH370. What exactly happened then is still unclear. How, where and why the plane disappeared remains one of the greatest mysteries in modern aviation history. Blick reopens the case on the anniversary and explains: what we know – and what is still being speculated about.
The flight
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 took off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014 at 12:42 p.m. local time. There were 227 passengers and twelve crew members on board. The destination airport is Beijing, China, 4,350 kilometers away. The plane was supposed to land there six hours later, but it never arrives.
The last radio message
After take-off, the aircraft follows the planned route. This leads towards Vietnam. Shortly before MH370 leaves Malaysian airspace, the routine sign-off takes place at 1:19 am with the words: “Good night. Malaysian three seven zero.” Authorities initially listed the last radio message as “Okay, good night,” but later corrected this.
Disappeared from the radar
Shortly after the last radio message, the transponder is switched off and the yellow square that indicated the course of MH370 disappears from the radar screen. It then takes an unusually long time before the Vietnamese air traffic controllers try – in vain – to contact the crew.
Various price changes
Later analyzed radar and satellite data show the plane was moving westward with several course changes over Malaysia and northern Indonesia. Experts believe the crash site occurred far west of Australia in the Indian Ocean. An area that is one of the least explored oceans in the world.
Debris discovered
As a result, pieces of debris are repeatedly discovered, including on the French island of La Réunion and in Mauritius. They can be attributed to the missing aircraft. However, the wreckage and its occupants remain missing, despite an intensive search throughout the country.
The last sign of life
Although Boeing’s communications systems were disabled, the plane sent a so-called ping every hour, Aerotelegraph wrote at the time. The signal came from a transmitting station on board the aircraft responsible for synchronizing time information. Based on these signals, experts have determined that MH370 must have continued flying over the Indian Ocean for at least five hours after the communications systems failed.
The theories
Authorities are trying to shed light on the matter. However, they are repeatedly accused of not doing enough to provide information and withholding information. And so there is speculation about what happened that night. Netflix is also looking for clues in the 2023 three-part documentary ‘MH370: The Plane That Disappeared’.
The first episode, titled “The Pilot,” focuses on a possible suicide by the first officer. The second episode, called “The Hijack,” speculates that Russian agents may have hijacked the machine. This is intended to divert attention from the occupation of Crimea. In “The Intercept,” the series finale, a Southeast Asian correspondent for “Le Monde” focuses on speculation that the Americans shot down the plane. This is to prevent the military cargo loaded on board from reaching China.
New hope
“I am deeply sorry to inform you that flight MH370 has ended up in the Indian Ocean.” With this announcement by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Monday, March 24, 2014, the relatives became a fact of what they had already assumed but did not want to admit. All 239 people on board the flight to Malaysia are dead.
But even after ten years, they don’t give up and demand answers. Just a few days ago, hundreds of survivors called for a new search for the missing Malaysian plane. And on the anniversary, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke vowed to “do everything possible to solve this mystery once and for all.”
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
