1. MH370: Theories for a vanishing plane
By: Alexander Roman
It’s been two weeks since Flight MH370 has disappeared and we are still left with
more questions than answers. What happened on the plane? Was it a hi-jacking? If
so, who was responsible? Why haven’t we been able to find the plane? What do we
know about the passengers? Despite the questions one thing is certain. We aren’t
short of theories and due to the fact that the plane is still missing, nothing can be
ruled out.
The Possibility ofHi-Jacking
Because of the veering off-course shortly before it’s final, “alright, good night”
transmission, the plane was believed to be deliberately moved away from it’s
original destination. At first, it was thought that one of the captains may have self hi-
jacked the plane to commit suicide. However, an article on daily.co.uk confirms this
is more than unlikely. You can read this article here. This begs to ask the question,
“So if not the pilots, who would want the plane hi-jacked and why?”
I would like to start by mentioning that in a BBC article found here, two men have
been confirmed to be using false passports from Austria and Italy. One of the men is
confirmed to be Iranian.
Since there were no targets worth attacking in the area, the only reason for a
potential hi-jacking would be found amongst the passengers. So, was there anyone
of political value amongst the 237 passengers?
Freescale Semiconductor is an Electronic Military and RADAR firm that had just
launched a new product days before the flight went missing. Interestingly enough,
20 senior members were on board the flight just 5 days after one of their most
powerful products were launched. 12 of these members were from Malaysia while
the remaining 8 were Chinese nationals. These are easily the highest profile
passengers so far.
Perhaps the most interesting connection is the one that can be found between
Freescale Semiconductor and The Carlyle Group. The Carlyle Group is a private
equity firm who has boasted high profile advisors such as ex-President George Bush
Sr. as well as former Prime Minister of Britain John Major. If that isn’t interesting
enough, perhaps the known ties between The Carlyle Group and The Saudi Bin
Laden Group will capture your interest. This brings up eerie remnants of all the
9/11 conspiracies that are still being thrown about across the Internet today. By any
chance is there anything that can make this more than just a conspiracy theory?
2. According to an article on express.co.uk which can be found here, a conspiracy
theory claiming 4 out of 5 passengers from Freelance Semiconductor were share
holders was posted on another news website. It would go on to say that since they
have gone missing, they have lost their shareholder status leaving Freelance
Semiconductor 100% of the shares. The article goes on to say that this seems to be a
weak theory considering that,
“Although a Freescale patent does exist under number US8650327, none of the
names listed actually appear on the passenger manifest released by the Malaysian
authorities.”
Despite the added theory, the fact that Freelance Semiconductor and The Carlyle
Group are linked is enough to make one begin to theorize conspiracy.
The Possibility ofHypoxia
One of the later theories (also believed to be the most likely) is that of Captain
Goodfellow and his theory of hypoxia being the cause of the vanishing flight.
According to Canadian Pilot Goodfellow, he believes the pilots changed direction to
head for Pulau Langkawi, which is an island that has a very large airport. He goes on
to say on a Google+ post (found here), that more than likely there was a fire or some
kind of incident that reduced oxygen to the point where Hypoxia would over take
the passengers and crew. This would cause the plane to idle until its fuel would run
out. He believed the plane would simply crash and that, “you would find it along it’s
last known route.”
He goes on to say that the pilot on board was more than likely a hero fighting a fire
that became an “impossible situation.”
Of course, with every good theory, there is always, a “debunk.”
On reddit.com, a user by the name of daynomate, (Dave on his Disqus account found
here) went on to state that Goodfellow is grossly misinformed and that his
experience as a pilot causes him to express his need to correct Goodfellow. He goes
on to say that a person who says, “not to speculate,” then “speculates” is no longer a
credible person and that much of the information given is completely inaccurate. He
attacks Goodfellow’s theory by stating that the oxygen mask is the first thing the
pilot should have grabbed in the event of a fire since this is not to be confused with
the passengers oxygen masks which are tied to the cabin oxygen and a fire would
combine with the smoke in the cabin. He attacks, the notion of the pilot turning the
plane for the nearest airport and more. His debunk, can be found here.
The Possibility ofRemote Hi-Jacking
3. According to British anti-terror expert Doctor Sally Leivesely, this may very well be
the world’s first Cyber Hijacking. She goes on to say in this article that,
“the plane’s speed, altitude and direction by sending radio signals to its flight
management system. It could then be landed or made to crash by remote control.
Possible culprits include criminal gangs, terrorists or a foreign power.”
She goes on to say that this could very well be a prototype for what she would call a
smart plane or a controlled by electronic signals scenario. She says that there is
indeed technology that could hack into the planes electronics at the right time and
control the plane to do whatever the remote pilot wants it to do. She also points out
that there definitely appears to be an element of planning from someone a deep
understanding of engineering.
An independent media journalist named Deborah Dupre of beforeitsnews.com backs
Leivesely’s theory. Her article can be found here.
In this article, Dupre refers to an interview with ex-pilot Field McConnell. Field
McConnell has been fighting to sue over the electronic technology that takes away a
pilots ability to fly the plane responsibly with total control. He is indeed referring to
the ability to remotely fly a plane and it’s adverse effect on a pilot’s ability to
guarantee safety with this in place. McConnell’s argument indeed deserves a listen
considering his years of experience as a retired pilot for Delta Airlines and a retired
U.S. fighter pilot. The interview can be found here.
Their Final Words
It is abundantly clear that until we have something physical we are left with nothing
more than theories. This is not only clear, but it is also frustrating. Despite the
frustrations, if we are unable to celebrate the actual closure of finding the lost
aircraft, perhaps we can celebrate the last words and activities of some of the lost
passengers.
In a recent article found in People Magazine, a handful of passengers were brought
to light. Paul Weeks gave his watch and wedding ring to his wife to give to his sons
before he left for his flight just in case something happened during his time away on
business. Robert and Cathy Lawton’s Facebook boasted an update, “Off to China!”
According to People, these two grandparents in their 50’s were known by their
family and neighbors for being warm and welcoming. Hadrien Wattrelos was a
French student living in China and dating Zhao Yan. His last Facebook update was a
captioned picture of himself and Zhao entitled “Je t’aime” (French translated: I love
you). Joy Xing was a Chinese multi-linguist who worked for Shell as an Engineer. Her
last conversation with friends was about her longing for companionship.
4. These are only six of the missing 237 passengers. Although the article only covers
these missing individuals it is not with a deep sense of loss that we read these words
of love and dreams of something more. One can only hope that a positive outcome or
at least some closure can soon be found. Until then, boats and planes continue their
search for answers and we are simply left with more questions.
This is your Suit and Tie Wearing Gentleman Alexander Roman from Atdaily.com
signing off.
UPDATE 3/27/14
As of Monday 3/24/14, the Malaysian Government went on record saying that the
plane was indeed crashed in the Indian Ocean and that all life was lost. Interestingly
enough, the Chinese government is now demanding all evidence that proves this to
be a fact. This information can be found on Reuters site here. This article goes on to
say that a British Satellite utilized by the company Inmarsat, confirmed that the
plane indeed crashed into the South Indian Ocean.
Since then, French and Thai Satellite’s have confirmed more debris in another area
of the Indian and are discussed in this article here. Hundreds of objects ranging in
size from approximately 5 feet to as long as 70 feet have been picked up on these
satellites. Six countries, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Japan, China and
South Korea, have all been helping in the search scanning 50,000 square miles
weather has been a factor in the search effort.
Meanwhile, tension begins to rise as Chinese celebrities begin to boycott anything to
do with Malaysia and the question “Would American passengers have been treated
better,” is starting to be discussed on Chinese threads.
Despite all these recent developments, a plane has still not been found, families
continue to grieve (more so than ever) and the world with dwindling hope
continues to watch.
This is your Suit and Tie Wearing Gentleman Alexander Roman from Atdaily.com
signing off.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/24/us-
malaysiaairlines-flight-idUSBREA2701720140324
