Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Update: Pilot’s House Raided, Flight Simulators, And A Widened Search

Previously on LOST, Hurley and the gang…wait, no, real life. It’s been ten days since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared, and we still have no idea where it is, what happened to it, and where those people are. But let’s leave it to the media to throw darts at the WTF happened board, shall we? Via CNN:

The new developments come as U.S. intelligence officials are leaning toward the theory that “those in the cockpit” — the pilots of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 — were responsible for the mysterious disappearance of the commercial jetliner, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the latest thinking told CNN.

So, it’s looking more and more like the pilots were responsible for whatever happened to the plane. Anyone watching the coverage has no doubt watched the replay graphic of the plane flying Northwest before making a dramatic turn toward the West. But what gets me is how a pilot, or anyone can turn the transponder off freely and how it’s even reachable. And then there’s this haunting update. Again, CNN:

“All right, good night.”

Those are the last words heard from the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

Whomever said this said it after they turned the transponder off. And then that was it. The plane disappeared and all we know is that it flew at least seven hours. Authorities, obviously, are turning their gaze toward the pilots. How are they doing so? Well, raiding their houses, of course! Via Sydney Morning Herald:

Police searched the luxury home of pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah on Saturday after it was revealed the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 turned back from its scheduled flight path over the South China Sea and flew for more than seven hours with its communication tracking device disabled.

The family lives in a luxury gated community in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian media reports quoted colleagues describing Shah as a “superb pilot”, who also served as an examiner, authorised by the Malaysian Civil Aviation Department, to conduct simulator tests for pilots.

Malaysia Airlines played down the significance of Mr Zaharie having a flight simulator built into his home using three large computer monitors and other accessories. Asked of its was unusual to have such equipment at home, Malaysia Airlines chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said: ‘‘Everyone is free to do his own hobby.’’

Yikes. Having that name in this day and age in Western culture is enough to condemn them already. He’s a pilot, so who cares if he has a flight simulator in his house? My best friend is a doctor and he has bodies littered across his basement for research. Whatever, man!

Meanwhile, the search area has grown even bigger.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport said Sunday that both the northern and southern corridors are being treated with equal importance. Malaysian officials are working with 25 countries, many of them along the corridors. They include Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, China, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Many of the countries joining the search area are countries the plane could have landed in. Are they covering something up? Is this a conspiracy? Did the plane fly inside the hollow Earth to have tea and crumpets with Brendan Fraser? Is Brendan Fraser secretly British? No to most of that. Maybe. It can’t be that hard to find this plane, could it?

This is why I’m afraid of the ocean. So much water, sharks, and vast scary unknown depths of terror.

Via CNN, Sydney Morning Herald

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