It is one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history: Ten years ago, flight MH370 disappeared from the radar – and with it 239 people. To this day it is unclear what happened. The wreck was never found.
“Good night, Malaysia three seven zero” – that is the last message from the pilot of flight MH370.
It was a routine flight. Shortly after midnight, the passenger plane takes off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Your destination: Beijing. After around an hour, the Boeing 777 suddenly disappears from the radar without a trace – and with it 239 passengers and crew members.
Days later the news that no one wants to hear: “Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.” Flight MH370 is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean. But how exactly and why? This is still unclear today.
Grueling uncertainty
One thing is clear: Shortly after the pilot’s last message, someone switches off the transponder – a device that transmits data to air traffic control on the ground. It is not known who presses the off button and why. According to radar and satellite data, the plane changes course – turns and flies back to Malaysia.
The uncertainty is grueling for the relatives. “I think my son is still on the flight,” 66-year-old Li Eryou told the AP news agency. “He’s there. Or he lives on a desert island like Robinson Crusoe.” Since then, he himself has been drifting through life like a ghost, says his father. “When I meet my friends and relatives, I put on a smile. I’m only me at night. Then I can cry without people noticing.”
Parts found, but no wreckage
Over the years, several countries and a private company have searched for the wreckage, from the air, by ship and underwater. It was one of the most expensive and extensive search operations in history. Nevertheless: The wreckage and the bodies of the passengers and crew members remain missing. The search will be discontinued in 2018.
Relatives like Nathan, whose wife was on board, are not giving up hope: “Of course the plane will be found. It’s just a matter of time. Sunken ships have also been found after hundreds of years.”
So far only individual pieces of wreckage have been found – on islands in the Indian Ocean and on beaches on the African coast. Three pieces of wreckage are proven to be from flight MH370. Dozens more are believed to be likely.
Calls for the search to be resumed
Relatives are calling for the search to be resumed. There are new technical possibilities today and the search area is more limited.
Malaysia’s transport minister said at a memorial service a few days ago that the search could be resumed. The American company Ocean Infinity offered another search operation. The deal: The company only gets money if it finds the plane. The sea in the area is thousands of meters deep, very cold, with little current. The chances are therefore good that the wreck will still be found relatively intact.
A discovery could finally give the relatives answers. Wild theories and speculations are currently floating around the internet. Was it a suicide by the pilot? A kidnapping? Was the plane shot down? Or was it a technical error, a fire, was there a loss of pressure in the cabin – and the plane crashed when the gasoline ran out?
“Truth – that’s all we want”
“One day someone will come forward and tell us what really happened,” said the wife of a Malaysia Airlines steward. “The truth – that’s all we want. We eagerly wait for that day.”
Most of the passengers on board came from China. Others from France, the USA, Russia, Australia – a total of 14 countries. “Even if we come from different parts of the world, have different religions or skin colors, our love for our loved ones is universal. We have the same goal,” said Jiang Hui, whose mother was on board.
The aviation industry has learned from the disappearance. In Europe, for example, an additional underwater tracking device must now be installed that can send a signal at full strength for at least 90 days instead of the previous 30.
A court case began last year in Beijing, where the plane never arrived. 40 families are suing for damages or compensation. For them it is incomprehensible that the machine is still missing – even ten years later.
Jennifer Johnston, ARD Singapore, tagesschau, March 8, 2024 6:08 a.m