Questions remain unanswered nearly 10 years after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, and families of the missing and presumed dead are still searching for closure for their loved ones.
The 2014 disappearance remains one of aviation’s most disturbing mysteries. The Boeing 777 took off from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014 and disappeared about 90 seconds after leaving Malaysian airspace with all 239 passengers on board without a trace.
A multi-year search ensued, and with it, a confusing and confused series of revelations and investigations that have so far yielded no real conclusions. Malaysian authorities called off the search after three years, and subsequent search efforts have been short-lived.
Families of the missing have pushed for a new search, citing advances in technology that could help find the bulk of the plane or any new evidence that could help find closure.
MH370, AMELIA EARHART AND OTHER STILL UNSOLVED AIRCRAFT MYSTERIES
A young Malaysian child stands in front of a message board offering good wishes to those involved with the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 16, 2014. (Joshua Paul/NurPhoto/NurPhoto/Corbis via Getty Images)
“As the families of passengers and crew on board try to rebuild our lives, the threat to global aviation security remains a pressing issue,” Voice370, the family group of MH370 passengers, said in a statement.
MH370 HAD ‘MYSTERIOUS’ 200KG CARGO AFTER LISTING: REPORT
“As long as we remain in the dark about what happened to MH370, we will never be able to prevent a similar tragedy. Therefore, we believe it is of the utmost importance that the search for MH370 continues to its conclusion.” “
A new Netflix documentary explored the timeline of the plane’s disappearance, speaking to the most prominent voices and players involved in the immediate response and subsequent search for the plane.
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke, center, looks at a wing flap found on Pemba Island, Tanzania, which has been identified as a missing piece from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 by unique part numbers traced to 9M-MRO. The fifth anniversary of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on March 3, 2019. (Adli Ghazali/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The documentary, released on the anniversary of the plane’s disappearance, also revives some of the more bizarre theories about what happened to the plane.
After disappearing, the plane emitted several “pings” in the immediate six hours that were recorded and tracked by the London-based satellite company Inmarsat.
The ping confirmed to the company that the plane had turned back in Malaysia before the last ping over the Indian Ocean. After that, the mystery deepened. Inmarsat used the data to determine that the plane had flown south into the Indian Ocean, rather than north of mainland Asia.
Blaine Gibson, a wreck hunter searching for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, speaks to members of the media after pieces of debris found in Madagascar were handed over to Malaysia’s Anthony Loke in Putrajaya on November 30, 2018. (Adli Ghazali/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
In the years that followed, Blaine Gibson, a self-described “adventurous” enthusiast, found several pieces of the plane washed up on islands around the Indian Ocean that airline officials matched to the Boeing 777. the plane went down, because no other plane has disappeared in the intervening years. It’s the closest to confirmation that families think they’ll get.
MH370 BOBSHELL: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO THE LOST MALAYSIA FLIGHT? GUY BENSON HAS COOL DETAILS
The documentary covers three main theories about what happened, each of which has been largely disproved or questioned by subsequent evidence. One theory is that the pilot intended to kill himself and all the passengers on board by hijacking the plane. Another says Russian intelligence operatives hijacked the plane. A third theory is that the US jammed the plane’s communications and somehow landed it.
In the documentary, Blaine rejected any theory that one country intervened and covered up its actions, saying that the rival nations of the US, China and Russia would demand cooperation, which was impossible.
Jeff Wise, Jason Dodd and Ed Kelly attend the Travel + Leisure 2008 Design Awards at the IAC Building on February 12, 2008 in New York City. (David X Prutting/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Jeff Wise, a journalist and prominent face in the amateur investigation of the plane’s disappearance, first proposed the Russian hijacking theory and seemed to double down on it. He also indirectly speculated in the Netflix documentary that Blaine might be acting in Russia’s interests, which he said would lead to Blaine being defamed for “serious” claims.
What becomes clear is that few people can agree on what happened to the plane. But hope for an answer — any answer with concrete evidence — remains strong, both for those who have spent years searching for a solution and for those who never saw their loved ones come home.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“At this point, we can’t say definitively when a new search will take place as discussions are ongoing, and there’s still a lot of work to be done,” said Oliver Plunkett, CEO of US marine robotics company Ocean Infinity. he told The Guardian.
“We will work hard and strive to make this happen, subject to the support of the Malaysian government,” he said. “I think it’s a realistic goal.”
Peter Aitken is a reporter for Fox News Digital, focusing on national and global news.