10. Were The Pilots Responsible?
Heres what we know about the pilots. The pilot of Flight 370 was Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a 30-year veteran with over 18,000 flying hours logged. He was one of Malaysia Airlines longest serving pilots. First Officer and co-pilot Fariq Ab Hamid is a 7-year veteran, logging in just under 3,000 hours. Malaysian police searched both mens homes last Saturday. So far, no evidence has been released to suggest they had ties to terrorist organizations, or any other ulterior motives. Furthermore, the two men did not request to be on the flight, signifying little chance of collaboration. While it is true that Captain Shah built a flight simulator in his home, this is not as uncommon as you might think. Many tenured pilots have flight simulators to keep them updated on software enhancements and changes made to the Boeing 777, not to mention just staying sharp while in the cockpit. In the case of Captain Shah, it is doubtful that he used the simulator to practice maneuvers he wasnt used to. Now, there are reports suggesting the plane climbed to 45,000 feet before sharply descending. But it happened shortly after takeoff, while the plane was still loaded with fuelmaking such a climb impossible for a Boeing 777. Furthermore, to attempt such a stunt is incredibly reckless for a veteran pilot. A 777 is not built to operate at such an altitude, and would probably be uncontrollable. Communication from the plane also suggests it was airborne for several hours after this maneuver/radar glitch. This would rule out suicide, as its hard to believe a pilot would fly around for hours before intentionally flying it into the earth. What is clear is that the plane deviated from its intended northerly course toward Beijing sometime after 1am. The aircraft made a turn west,
reportedly due to a reprogramming of the planes flight path. Such a sophisticated way of altering course suggests expert-level knowledge of the aircraft. Whether one of the pilots made the alterations is unknown. Nor is it known if the changes were pre-flight or during. But the plane changed course deliberately. That much is certain.