Possible endpoints for MH370 based on analysis of satellite data. Source: Supplied
WHAT happened to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370? Ask the CIA but don’t blame us, says a former Malaysian prime minister.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad wrote in his personal blog today that — with the help of the Boeing’s advanced technology — the CIA or “certain parties” could have hijacked the aircraft remotely.
“It is a waste of time and money to look for debris or oil slick or to listen for “pings” from the black box,” Dr Mahathir said. “This is most likely not an ordinary crash after fuel was exhausted. The plane is somewhere, maybe without MAS markings.
“Someone is hiding something. It is not fair that MAS and Malaysia should take the blame.”
Dr Mahathir, who was Malaysian prime minister from 1981 to 2003, cites a 2006 article on flightglobal.com as the basis for his argument, which states that the CIA could activate an autopilot installed in order to prevent terrorists from taking control of the flight deck by force.
“They can land safely or they may crash, but aeroplanes do not just disappear. Certainly not these days with all the powerful communication systems which operate almost indefinitely and possess huge storage capacities,” Dr Mahathir wrote.
He also called into question Boeing’s involvement in the disappearance — particularly in light of a US patent issued in 2006 for a system that remotely locks out the aircraft’s pilot and guides the aircraft to land automatically.
Dr Mahathir also challenged the availability of satellite tracking data on the plane.
“MH370 is a Boeing 777 aircraft. It was built and equipped by Boeing, hence all the communications and GPS equipment must have been installed by Boeing.
“If they failed or have been disabled, Boeing must know how it can be done and surely Boeing would ensure that they cannot be easily disabled as they are vital to the safety and operation of the plane,” he said.
ADV Ocean Shield slips from the wharf at HMAS Stirling on May 10 in Rockingham, Australia. The Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield departed for the MH370 search area after resupplying at HMAS Stirling. Picture: Paul Kane / Getty Images Source: Getty Images
Meanwhile, a Chinese navy survey ship will start mapping the seabed off the West Australian coast this week as part of the latest phase in the search for the Malaysian airliner, officials said Monday.
Chinese, Australian and Malaysian authorities met at the west coast port city of Fremantle at the weekend and agreed that the Chinese ship Zhu Kezhen will conduct a bathymetric survey of the Indian Ocean floor as directed by Australian air crash investigators, Australia’s Joint Agency Coordination Center said in a statement.
The Canberra-based centre said the ship was scheduled to sail for the survey area on Wednesday, weather permitting.
Officials believe the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that vanished with 239 passengers and crew on March 8 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing veered far off course and crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
After an initial air and seabed search failed to find any trace of the wreckage, authorities this month announced a new phase over a vastly expanded seabed search area covering 60,000 square kilometres. The new phase also involves mapping of the seabed where depths and topography are in parts largely unknown.
echnicians tie down the Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle prior to the ADV Ocean Shield slipping from the wharf at HMAS Stirling on May 10. Picture: Paul Kane Source: Getty Images
The original ocean floor search of an area of less than 400 square kilometres where a sound consistent with aircraft black box was thought to have emanated was conducted by a US Navy unmanned sub, the Bluefin 21, near its 4.5 kilometre depth limit.
The Bluefin 21 had continued searching an ever widening area until a communications problem was discovered last week involving the transponders on the sub and the Australian navy ship that tows it, Ocean Shield.
The centre said the Ocean Shield arrived on Sunday at the Australian west coast port of Geraldton, where preparations were underway to install spare transponder parts to both the ship and sub.
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