The worlds aviation system is a total technological marvel to me. I have no idea how planes fly in the first place, I mean I get the basic science, but it just doesn’t make sense in my head. But then to have a global network of systems that are able to track the exact position of every single flight and communicate with them instantaneously is equally as mind boggling to me.
With any system there are occasionally going to be failures, and unfortunately with aviation that can mean loss of life on a large scale. But one of modern history’s greatest mysteries is the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. Nine years after the incident, Netflix have a new three-part documentary that explores what might have happened to the flight, and the two hundred and thirty-nine souls aboard.
In the early hours of March 8th 2014 Malaysia Airlines flight 370 departed from Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia, with a final destination of Beijing, China. Approximately thirty-eight minutes into the flight final radio contact was made as Malaysian air control passed over to Vietnamese air control over the South China Sea, but the connection was never made, and the flight disappeared from air traffic control’s surveillance radar. For one-hour Malaysian military radar tracked the flight as it deviated from its planned flight path westward, back over Malaysia. At approximately 2:22am local time, flight MH370 disappeared forever.
A large international search for the flight and its passengers began in the days following and lasted until 2017, however no wreckage was ever found, and all passengers and crew were officially declared deceased in 2018 by the Malaysian government in their report of the incident.
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared collects families of the missing passengers, as well as aviation experts to collate all the information that has been verified to be true and presents three possible versions of events that could have transpired from the point of radio darkness over the South China Sea.
With any system there are occasionally going to be failures, and unfortunately with aviation that can mean loss of life on a large scale. But one of modern history’s greatest mysteries is the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. Nine years after the incident, Netflix have a new three-part documentary that explores what might have happened to the flight, and the two hundred and thirty-nine souls aboard.
In the early hours of March 8th 2014 Malaysia Airlines flight 370 departed from Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia, with a final destination of Beijing, China. Approximately thirty-eight minutes into the flight final radio contact was made as Malaysian air control passed over to Vietnamese air control over the South China Sea, but the connection was never made, and the flight disappeared from air traffic control’s surveillance radar. For one-hour Malaysian military radar tracked the flight as it deviated from its planned flight path westward, back over Malaysia. At approximately 2:22am local time, flight MH370 disappeared forever.
A large international search for the flight and its passengers began in the days following and lasted until 2017, however no wreckage was ever found, and all passengers and crew were officially declared deceased in 2018 by the Malaysian government in their report of the incident.
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared collects families of the missing passengers, as well as aviation experts to collate all the information that has been verified to be true and presents three possible versions of events that could have transpired from the point of radio darkness over the South China Sea.
First thing’s first when going into this documentary. You will not find answers here, because the sheer lack of verifiable information about what happened, as well as various mistakes made by the Malaysian government in the days following the incident mean that it is unlikely that we will ever find out what happened to MH370. All that is possible is speculation, and the three scenarios presented in this documentary are entirely guesswork based upon the global political climate of the time, and what is scientifically verifiable. These theories are as flawed as they are plausible, and whilst this could seem like a way for Netflix to simply peddle conspiracy theories, I believe it’s a great way to explore they mystery surrounding MH370 whilst also having significant involvement from the relatives of those who were on board that fateful flight.
Each episode dedicated itself to a possible scenario of what could have happened to MH370. The first episode sets its sights on the pilot, Captain Zaharie, and the possibility that he suffered some kind of psychological breakdown and flew the aircraft over the Indian Ocean until it ran out of fuel. This theory has been largely debunked by psychological profiles of Zaharie, and a total lack of physical evidence pointing to this being the case. However, he was arguably the only person aboard the flight with enough skill to be able to fly the plane to its final recorded position on the western side of Malaysia.
Episode two poses the question of whether Russia could have been involved in an attempt to distract from its invasion of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Just a few months later Russia would shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight 17, and this theory poses that MH370 was hijacked by three Russian passengers, flown north into the Kazakhstan desert, and then dismantled by the Russian army to leave no trace.
Episode three then turns attention to the United States, and questions whether shortly after losing radio contact over the South Ghina Sea, MH370 was shot down by the U.S military who were performing military operations in the area at the time. This is supported by cargo manifests that may have been of interest to America and China, and questions whether America would have sacrificed hundreds of lives to stop China obtaining the valuable technology aboard the flight.
Each episode dedicated itself to a possible scenario of what could have happened to MH370. The first episode sets its sights on the pilot, Captain Zaharie, and the possibility that he suffered some kind of psychological breakdown and flew the aircraft over the Indian Ocean until it ran out of fuel. This theory has been largely debunked by psychological profiles of Zaharie, and a total lack of physical evidence pointing to this being the case. However, he was arguably the only person aboard the flight with enough skill to be able to fly the plane to its final recorded position on the western side of Malaysia.
Episode two poses the question of whether Russia could have been involved in an attempt to distract from its invasion of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Just a few months later Russia would shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight 17, and this theory poses that MH370 was hijacked by three Russian passengers, flown north into the Kazakhstan desert, and then dismantled by the Russian army to leave no trace.
Episode three then turns attention to the United States, and questions whether shortly after losing radio contact over the South Ghina Sea, MH370 was shot down by the U.S military who were performing military operations in the area at the time. This is supported by cargo manifests that may have been of interest to America and China, and questions whether America would have sacrificed hundreds of lives to stop China obtaining the valuable technology aboard the flight.
The reality is that MH370: The Plane That Disappeared is simply speculation, there’s nothing to suggest that any of this should be taken as anything but. So, if you want answers, then don’t look for them here. But what the documentary does provide are three well-reasoned theories (no matter how crazy they may initially seem), and presents you with all the key facts to allow you to draw your own conclusions.
The film is well constructed, a mix of well shot interviews glossy and dramatic reconstructions, and a handful of well-designed special effects to draw you in.
It’s got money behind it, and you can see that clear as day on screen.
The documentary is also quick to debunk its own claims, providing counter arguments to every single one of its theories. It doesn’t have an agenda; it just wants to inform.
MH370 is a mystery that we can only hope that we will get to the bottom of sooner rather than later. Whilst The Plane That Disappeared doesn’t provide answers, it does compile all of the information we know to be true in one place that is well communicated and easy to understand. It expands on this in well-constructed, but entirely speculative ways, in an attempt to try to understand some of the more peculiar elements of the mystery. It’s educational and entertaining, which so long as you understand the content contained within is exactly what you want from a good documentary.
The film is well constructed, a mix of well shot interviews glossy and dramatic reconstructions, and a handful of well-designed special effects to draw you in.
It’s got money behind it, and you can see that clear as day on screen.
The documentary is also quick to debunk its own claims, providing counter arguments to every single one of its theories. It doesn’t have an agenda; it just wants to inform.
MH370 is a mystery that we can only hope that we will get to the bottom of sooner rather than later. Whilst The Plane That Disappeared doesn’t provide answers, it does compile all of the information we know to be true in one place that is well communicated and easy to understand. It expands on this in well-constructed, but entirely speculative ways, in an attempt to try to understand some of the more peculiar elements of the mystery. It’s educational and entertaining, which so long as you understand the content contained within is exactly what you want from a good documentary.