Experts have suggested that the mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 could potentially be solved within a matter of 'days' if a new search effort is launched, according to a report. Flight MH370 vanished about 38 minutes after leaving Kuala Lumpur airport in southern Malaysia, en route to Beijing, China, on March 8, 2014.
Despite extensive search efforts by governments and private entities, the plane was never found, and the fate of its 237 passengers remains unknown. In September, aerospace expert Jean-Luc Marchand and pilot Patrick Blelly called for a new search effort, citing revelations about the fate of the flight. However, a new search hasn't yet materialized.
New Hope for Finding MH370
During a lecture before the Royal Aeronautical Society, the pair stated that the proposed new search area could be thoroughly examined in just 10 days, emphasizing the need for an open call for help, according to a MailOnline.com report.
"We have done our homework. We have a proposal ... the area is small and considering new capabilities it will take 10 days," Marchand said.
"It could be a quick thing. Until the wreck of MH370 is found, nobody knows (what happened). But, this is a plausible trajectory."
The duo urged the Australian Transport Safety Authority, the Malaysian government, and exploration company Ocean Infinity to initiate a new search. Ocean Infinity had expressed interest in resuming its search efforts last year, having covered extensive areas of the Indian Ocean under a 'no find, no fee' arrangement.
Marchand suggested that this "swift" search could be a valuable test for the company's new unmanned sub-nautical search technology.
More importantly, the experts told the Royal Aeronautical Society that the proposed new search area was predicated on the belief that the plane was deliberately hijacked and intentionally brought down in the deep ocean.
Marchand described it as an "atrocious one-way journey," suggesting that it was likely carried out by an experienced pilot.
"We think, and the study that we've done has shown us, that the hijacking was probably performed by an experienced pilot," Marchad said.
"The cabin was depressurised ... and it was a soft control ditching to produce minimal debris. It was performed as to not be trapped or found.
"Certainly, the aircraft was not visible except for military. The guy knew that if search and rescue would be triggered it would be on the flight path."
The experts provided additional evidence, stating that the plane's transponder was deliberately deactivated and that the apparent 'U-turn' deviating from the original flight path could not have been executed by autopilot.
More In-Depth Search Required
Importantly, they emphasized that the abrupt change in direction took place in a geographical area often referred to as a "no man's land," located between Thai, Indonesian, Indian, and Malay airspace.
"What would have been the intention of the hijackers? This is a very sensitive area. You have Thai, south Indian radar coverage, but they don't care," Macrhard said.
"You have reached the war range, but also the radar, so this zone here is in no man's land. No control, no visibility for Kuala Lumpur. So, the guy can do whatever he wants."
The bold claim follows a separate report on the missing airplane, proposing a new search area off the Australian coast, reigniting interest in locating the aircraft.
The 229-page report proposed that the missing wreckage could be found around 1560km west of Perth, relying on 'groundbreaking' radio technology.
Researchers Richard Godfrey, Dr. Hannes Coetzee, and Professor Simon Maskell used Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) technology to trace the plane.
"This technology has been developed over the past three years and the results represent credible new evidence," the researchers stated.
"It aligns with analyses by Boeing (...) and drift analyses by University of Western Australia of debris recovered around the Indian Ocean."
The disappearance of MH370 stands as one of aviation's most enduring mysteries, captivating the interest of experts and conspiracy theorists alike.
MH370 took off from Malaysia shortly before 5 pm with a crew of 12 and 227 passengers from 14 nations, including 153 individuals from China.
Around 5:20 pm, Captain Zahrie Shah communicated with Malaysia air traffic control, saying, "...contact Ho Chi Minh (...) good night."
Shockingly, shortly thereafter, the aircraft went 'dark' and deviated back over Malaysia, contrary to the intended flight path.
Primary civilian and military radar data indicated the plane's route back over the Malacca Strait and into the vast Indian Ocean.
Around 7.5 hours after takeoff, MH370 ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean 11 minutes later, with no subsequent recovery or location of the wreckage.
Debris from the plane was discovered as far as Madagascar in the years that followed, with a total of 41 pieces recovered. Speculation regarding the reason for the unusual detour spans from theories of terrorist hijacking to suggestions that it was somehow intercepted by the U.S.
Controversial claims, vehemently disputed by U.S. authorities including the FBI, propose that the plane was flown under instructions to a remote island or atoll.
Various claims circulated around Captain Shah's family and the possibility that the plane was deliberately ditched into the Indian Ocean. While Marchand and Blelly clarified that they did not officially blame the pilot, they also refrained from absolving him until the plane was located.
Multiple theories, including the possibility of a fire, a cyber attack, or the plane being shot down, have been proposed, but none provide a credible answer to the mystery.
In the same year, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by Russian-backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, leading to widespread condemnation.
Indonesia, nearby to Malaysia, also suffered a tragedy in 2018 when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea only 13 minutes after takeoff.
