It has been well over nine years since the disappearance of international flight Malaysian Airline MH:370, which was carrying 239 passengers with no conclusive physical evidence from the investigation. Three conspiracy theories remain: (1) Did Zaharie Ahamad Shah maliciously sabotage the flight by diverting the plane with all passengers on board into a fatal plunge off the Indian Ocean (Zhou 1)? (2)  Were two Iranian passengers with fraudulent passports responsible for hijacking the airplane (“Hijackers? Aliens?” 1)? (3) Lastly, was this nothing more than a tragic accident caused by a mass hypoxia event of technology gone wrong (Zhou1)? Through a series of international investigative interviews from co-workers, family, and friends, it strongly suggests that solving this mystery lies in their testimonies which point to a depressed pilot experiencing a midlife crisis.

     According to Ahmad Zahari’s sister, he was considered incapable of any deliberate wrongdoing involving the disappearance of international airline MH:370 (Holmes 1). For example, Ahmad’s Zahari’s sister stated in her interview, “Until, and unless we have evidence, I maintain his innocence” (Holmes 1). She further stated, “Simply put, the suicide story is but another story, my brother loved life, he loved his lifestyle, period” (1). Although there isn’t tangible artifactual evidence, there is sufficient circumstantial evidence to point to Ahamad Zahari with a degree of certainty that points to him diverting the airplane with all 239 passengers. It is apparent that Ahmad’s Zahari’s sister was in pain, and simply protecting her brother’s reputation as an experienced reputable pilot of the professional Malaysian airline community. In fact, it was stated by the Malaysian prime minister Najib Razik, “Military tracking revealed an unplanned route, consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane” (1). Moreover, Ahamad Zahari’s wife when interviewed, stated that her husband was dedicated to his home flight simulator, and that they were having marital problems, but remained living together.

     The second theory points to two Iranian passengers on board of the MH:370 flight who were thought to have highjacked the plane. The Iranian passengers were found to have fraudulent passports, which made them likely suspects in the disappearance of the airline. However, according to Malaysian officials, the two Iranian passengers, Pouria Nour Mohamed, and Sayed Mohammad Rezar Delawar respectively “were friends and were hoping to seek asylum in Europe” (Dehghan 1). Although their passports were fraudulent, the story was substantiated by one of the Iranian passenger’s mothers who never got to see her son arrive to Frankfurt Germany and apply for political asylum. It would also seem highly unlikely that if these two prospective political asylum seekers were to be involved in the high jacking of the plane, that they would have left a trail of evidence, or at least some degree of information from friends and family interviewed during the investigation, however that never transpired. Also, if they would have attempted to highjack the plane, this would have been after September 11th and protocols were already in place by many international airline companies to deter or prevent that from happening such as special agents on board or the piolets sending out some form of communication from the cockpit. In short, visa requirements had been “made more flexible for Iranians travelling to Malaysia in order to seek asylum in Europe” (1). It is apparent that Malysia and Iran had a good political relationship and that it was not likely that two Iranian Muslim passengers, albeit on fake passports, would have sabotaged the airplane with predominantly Malaysian passenger of a similar Islamic faith. Once again this did not strongly support a high jacking terrorist plot on the part of the two Iranian passengers aboard the MH:370 flight. They were certainly not interested in ending their new lives, but rather starting new ones with an opportunity for political asylum in a European country.

     The Hypoxia incident was a popular hypothetical explanation in the disappearance of international Malaysian airline MH:370 and supported by several theorists. However, according to reporter Simon Calder with the Independent, “It is not possible to deactivate automatic deployment of the masks from the cockpit” (Calder 1).  In short passengers and crew would have had some time to communicate with the others “on the ground.” Furthermore, this theory is further debunked due to the airplane diverting its course. It is difficult to support this hypoxia theory since the airplane changed its course meaning that there was a conscious pilot still able to maneuver the airplane. Furthermore, if a sudden Hypoxia event occurred, the plane would have run on autopilot, and maintained its programed trajectory, but instead it took a swift turn in another direction which supports that the pilot was conscious and deliberate in his action. This clearly supports the claim that Zahid Zahari was responsible and implicit in his action to sabotage the destination of the airline flight and take down the plane with all passengers and crew members on board.

​

     It is unimaginable that a renowned long-time flight expert, such as Captain Zaharie would not have made emergency forms of communication with air traffic control, as a preventative measure for possible mechanical failures or a high jacking occurrence.  For example, pilot Zaharie could have made alternate forms of communication to signal distress and figure out how to coordinate with international air traffic control.  Based on these accounts, Zaharie was a high caliber pilot that nefariously circumvented the possible modes of detection, based on his skill-knowledge, and experience. Although the flight disappearance was unfathomably mysterious, but certainly able to be solved within the spectrum of logic and reason from the information provided by relatives, officials and friends.