MH370 MYSTERY: Top 10 conspiracy theories on doomed jet 4 years after the disappearance
ALIEN abduction, an insurance scam and the Illuminati are just some of the bizarre theories behind the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
The Boeing 777 hit headlines in March 2014 when it mysteriously vanished on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board.
But as the four-year search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane draws to an end this June, we take a look at the 10 ten conspiracy theories over what happened to the doomed jet.
Afghan Hijacking
Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomoletes claimed the plane was hijacked and flown to Afghanistan where crew and passengers remain captive.
The newspaper was reportedly told by a military source: “Pilots are not guilty, the plane was hijacked by unknown terrorists.”
Mysterious World
Others believe passengers were divided into seven groups and are living in mud huts without food.
Pilot Suicide
One explanation for the sudden disappearance was that MH370 pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah committed suicide.
There’s no evidence to suggest that was his intention, or that of missing co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid either.
But when asked if it was a possibility, John Brennan, head of the CIA, said: “I think you cannot discount any theory.”
Other theorists have claimed the pilot crashed the plane himself because he cleared his diary before the flight.
Another Bermuda Triangle
A popular theory on social media is that the plane was swallowed up by a second Bermuda Triangle.
Ships and planes have been known to vanish in the patch of sea in the Atlantic Ocean, also known as the Devil’s Triangle.
In 1945, Flight 19 was one of those planes.
But is it possible another Bermuda Triangle exists?
“Maybe there’s such a thing as Asian Bermuda Triangle,” one Twitter user wrote.
Cracks in the Plane
Months before MH370 vanished, airlines were warned of cracks in Boeing 777s that could result in mid-air beak up.
The Federal Aviation Administration gave airlines seven months to fix cracks in the fuselage skin of all these planes.
Failure to do so could result in ‘a rapid decompression and loss of structural integrity’, they warned.
Two days before MH370 took off, the organization issued a final demand to Malaysia Airlines after one airline found a 16-inch crack in a 14-year-old Boeing 777.
But Boeing said the alert didn’t apply to the missing jet because it had different kit than the other 777s.
Shot Down During Military Ops
A shocking book called ‘Flight MH370: The Mystery’ alleged the airline was shot down by mistake and that the hunt for survivors was covered up.
The book, published just 71 days after the jet vanished into thin air, makes the shocking claim the plane was hit by US-Thai strike fighters in a training drill hat went horribly wrong.
It reads: “Say a participant accidentally shot down Flight MH370. Such things do happen. No one wants another Lockerbie, so those involved wold have every reason to keep quiet about it.”
Relatives of the 239 onboard slammed the book as “too insensitive”.
Terrorists Crashed It
Although no terrorists groups have claimed responsibility for the missing aircraft, this has not stopped theorists believing there’s no other explanation for the disappearance.
This particular theory was triggered by two passengers who boarded the plane with stolen passports.
Many believed they were part of a massive cover-up to sink the Boeing 777.
Chillingly, one group has claimed responsibility for MH370 going missing in the past few days.
“You kill one of our clan, we will kill 100 of you as payback”, was sent by an unknown Chinese group to journalists.
But Malaysian officials think it’s a hoax as the email didn’t shed light on what happened to the plane.
Rapper Predicted it
Rapper Pitfall eerily predicted Flight MH370 would vanish years ago, it has been claimed.
Conspiracy theorists came up with the idea after comparing lyrics from his 2012 track Get It Started and the strange circumstances surrounding the missing plane.
He rapped: “Now it’s off to Malaysia. Two passports, three cities, two countries, one day. “
Theorists are convinced the two passports line is a reference to the stolen Austrian and Italian passports used by two Iranians to board MH370.
They also think the three cities he refers to are the capitals of Malaysia, China and Vietnam and the two countries are Malaysia and Vietnam.
Fire
An on-board fire that killed the 239 passengers and crew but burned out before damaging the plane’s exterior is a common theory.
This explains why the aircraft would fly for such a long distance off course on auto-pilot.
Aviation officials said if that was the case it would have hit the water at a whopping 600 miles an hour.
They said: “It would have hit the water with massive impact – as though the plane had landed on concrete. Nobody would have survived that.”
Warfare Experiment
The plane was part of a secret warfare experiment is another theory that has circulated.
Citizens news site Beforeitsnews.com reported Flight MH370 was ‘cloaked’ with high-tech warfare weaponry.
The site also sparked fears the plane could have been taken by North Korea for unknown purposes.
A Reddit user wrote: “There’s no telling what crazy logic they [North Korea] might have or taking a plane.”
It Hid Behind Another Plane
Early on in the search for survivors it was suggested the plane couldn’t be detected because it was hiding under another plane.
Blogger, Keith Ledgerwood, said: “It’s my belief that MH370 likely flew in the shadow of Singapore Airlines Flight 68 thought India and Afghanistan airspace.”
If he’s right, it would mean MH370 which had no transponder, would have shown up as one blip with the other aircraft.
The theory is feasible, but the planes would have had to have been within 3,300ft of each other.
