Sampan Mehta Week 13: Haunting Memories of Flight MH370 Ten Years Later
On March 8, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was scheduled for an overnight departure from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The flight took off shortly after midnight, and just shortly after takeoff as the flight reached the end of Malaysian airspace, the pilot said: “Good Night. Malaysia Three Seven Zero.” This was the last spoken communication received from the aircraft and soon after, the plane mysteriously vanished from radar over the South China Sea. What was thought to be a few days of searching for the final location later turned into one of the largest, most expensive searches in human history with thousands of miles of ocean searched with the support of many different countries around the world. Ten years later, on March 8, 2024, there has yet to be any conclusive proof of what really happened on March 8, 2014, and the haunting memory remains.
Onboard flight MH370 were 227 passengers and 12 Malaysian crew members. The flight had passengers from around the world, with a majority of Chinese passengers, followed by Malaysian, American, Indian, Australian, French, and Russian passengers, with many more nationalities. It was absolutely devastating for the families of these passengers and they remained in denial during the first few years. When the flight went missing, the authorities began their search in the final known location over the South China Sea, and later the Malaysian military found out that the plane was deliberately flown hundreds of miles off course, reversing back over Malaysia and towards a remote location over the Indian Ocean. The search later moved to the final location based on satellite data, yet still no evidence of any heavy wreckage or bodies were found. Throughout the search, there were many small pieces of an airplane washing up on the shores of islands in the Indian Ocean, such as Mauritius and Réunion Island. Still, these pieces were never fully confirmed to be a part of MH370 as there was significant controversy.
Throughout the years, one of the most accepted theories was a mass murder plan by the captain of the flight, Zaharie Ahmad Shah. He was accused of sabotaging the flight path after the flight vanished from radar and flying out to the Indian Ocean until the fuel ran out. As I researched more into this story, I started to wonder just how heartbroken the 239 families were when the flight failed to arrive at its final destination in Beijing. Many families were interviewed after this tragedy, and a majority mentioned that all they wanted was answers about their loved one’s whereabouts and that they would never reach peace until they receive closure. Ten years have passed and families are left to accept that no one survived. It is bizarre how a plane could disappear without a trace, and it will continue to remain the biggest mystery in aviation history as the memories live on. To learn more, watch the Netflix Documentary on MH370 and use the links below.
Links used and recommended for further research:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/07/mh370-flight-malaysia-airlines-plane-search/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/malaysian-airlines-flight-mh370-what-do-we-know/
Hi Sampan! Thank you for sharing this informative and intriguing blog. While it was nice to learn about something new, it was painful to think about the experiences that the family members underwent after they realized that their loved ones had disappeared. Like you mentioned, it is very interesting and mysterious as to why a plane simply could not be found. One would think with the millions of dollars that the world spends a year on aviation infrastructure, It would be possible to find a plane almost anywhere on Earth. However, after clicking through some of the links you attached, it seems like there may have been substantial holes in radar systems which led to rescuers being unable to locate the plane.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you focused on both the disappearance of the plane, and on the impact it had on the families of those on board. Keeping a focus on the family helped me realize that while in every tragedy there are sensationalized stories and compelling headlines, there is always a human impact that we should never forget. I also appreciate how you conveyed the value of the memories that lived on. This clear and insightful comment allowed me to understand that it is always important to cherish what we have, as it can always be taken away at any time. And in that case, the only thing that would be left are memories.
Once again, thank you for sharing this blog and allowing us a moment for reflection. While I obviously hope that researchers, rescuers, or government officials find the plane some time in the future, I wonder what the impact of its discovery will be on the families and friends of those impacted.
Hi Sampan! I enjoyed reading this blog post about the “haunting memory” of flight MH370—I always find mysteries like that to be very interesting. One thing I especially enjoyed about this blog post was its focus not only on the plane, but the experience of those who lost loved ones in the plane’s disappearance. You described the plane, its occupants, and the situation of its disappearance in excruciating detail, which added to the tension of the mystery; the elaborate writing style in this blog post really demonstrates how truly “bizarre” the flight was. In fact, this blog makes me question how it is possible for a plane to disappear off the face of the planet in such a manner. The largest nations have hundreds of highly equipped surveillance satellites positioned around the planet, so how could they all have failed to find any traces of the plane? I am sure that the plane would have raised some alarms the moment it started going “hundreds of miles off course,” and those alarms would have triggered a nearby country to keep an eye on that plane; yet, nothing of the sort appears to have happened, which surprises me. Regardless of the questions the plane’s disappearance raises, there are no doubts about the painful legacy that it left on families around the world—international aviation officials must reform security and safety systems to ensure that no tragedy like flight MH370 ever occurs again.
ReplyDeleteHi Sampan! The mystery your blog is centered around is so intriguing to me, as well as deeply saddening. I could not imagine what it would feel like to lose one of my family members on that flight, without any way to say goodbye or without knowing what truly happened to them. Although the events of 9/11 were also greatly tragic and cannot be downplayed, the cause of death for those passengers is clear. On flight MH370, on the other hand, their disappearance is a complete mystery. The mass murder plan theory is so interesting to me because it feels quite random for the pilot to lead the plane to an unknown location instead of creating a spectacle like 9/11. I wonder how the passengers reacted to the plane going off course, and if they fought against this plan of Zaharie Ahmad Shah (if the theory is true). It is also interesting how the plane would turn around to head back toward Malaysia rather than dropping off the radar directly; I wonder if that was the pilot making the outsiders aware that something was up with the flight and it was not just a natural disaster.
ReplyDeleteHey Sampan! Your blog on the disappearance of MH370 was really captivating to read and really stood out in the cohort. It’s crazy to think about how one event ties the memories and emotions of countless families around the world together, leaving a permanent mark on their lives. In this way, it can be seen that memory, in all its complexity, lies at the heart of this tragedy. The disappearance of MH370 was not just a loss of an aircraft; it's a loss of lives, dreams, and the cherished memories that define people. I found it interesting how you connected the theme of memory and grief by highlighting families grappling with the absence of closure and the haunt of the unknown. Therefore, this mystery can be argued to surpass the limits of time and space, as it will live on through generations and become a symbol of collective remembrance and shared sorrow, and the stories of the 239 passengers and crew members onboard will act as a reminder of the fragility of life and the enduring power of memory to shape people’s understanding of the world. In a different light, I feel like when humans are forced to face uncertainty, memory becomes the most potent ally as it preserves the legacy of MH370 and ensures that the voices of the victims are never forgotten. The fact that ten years later, people such as yourself and myself are still learning about this tragedy is evident of the lasting impact of this accident. After considering the many factors, do you think that sometime in the near future, the whereabouts of MH370 will be confirmed? And how will that affect the lives of the families? Thank you for sharing your insights and shining a light on this important topic!
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