Malaysia Airlines Mystery

NARRATOR: The most profound mystery in aviation history unfolds before us.

PILOT: Malaysia 370, please establish contact with Ho Chi Minh on frequency 120.9. Good evening. NARRATOR: How can a Boeing 777, carrying 239 souls, vanish without a trace? The answer lies concealed within the depths of the Indian Ocean. Imagine if we could empty the world's oceans, unveiling the hidden secrets of the ocean floor. Today, we have the capability to do just that. Using cutting-edge underwater scanning technology, we delve into the deep, converting data into three-dimensional images. With exclusive access to the official investigation, we unravel the pivotal enigmas surrounding Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. What invaluable insights can be gleaned from previous air disasters? Can Cold War technology unearth critical clues from the profound ocean depths? And if the aircraft is discovered, what enigmatic revelations might be concealed within the tangled wreckage? On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 embarks on a six-hour journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

NARRATOR: As the Boeing 777 enters Vietnamese airspace, it mysteriously vanishes from air traffic control radar screens. A modern commercial airliner, bearing 239 passengers, evaporates into thin air. There are no distress calls, and no trace of wreckage at the last known radar contact point. Aviation authorities are perplexed.

REPRESENTATIVE: We believe that family members should brace themselves for the worst. (sobbing)

NARRATOR: Grieving families left behind are clamoring for answers. WOMAN: (Speaking in Mandarin)

NARRATOR: The Malaysian government launches an investigation, marking it as the largest and costliest in aviation history. However, it's marred by numerous dead ends, false leads, and an avalanche of conjecture, with only a handful of tangible clues. The Malaysian military provides an initial lead. Powerful defense radar systems detect the plane, making an unexpected turn back across Malaysia. It proceeds northwest up the Strait of Malacca before vanishing north of Sumatra. It's a startling revelation. After disappearing from civilian radar, the plane continued flying. JOHN: Initially, when the aircraft made that turn without communicating with air traffic control, it raised various possibilities. It could have been a terrorist act, a deliberate action by a crew member, or a mass electrical system failure.

NARRATOR: The next clue arrives from outer space. Despite vanishing from radar, MH 370 continued to exchange "heartbeat" signals with an Inmarsat satellite orbiting above the Indian Ocean. These hourly signals, characterized by frequency changes, allowed experts to calculate the flight's direction and unveil a remarkable revelation. After initially heading northwest, MH370 turned south, flying for an additional six hours. Utilizing the signal data, investigators could determine the aircraft's distance from the satellite, creating a series of arcs. These arcs enabled them to plot potential flight paths for the plane as it crossed each arc. The final, or seventh, arc was situated deep in the Indian Ocean, beyond which no more signals were received.

PETER: The data was truly exceptional as it was being employed for a purpose it was never originally intended for.

NARRATOR: This monumental discovery immediately shifted the search area 3,000 miles to the south, placing it under the jurisdiction of the Australian government. Leading the investigation was accident investigator Peter Foley.

PETER: This was an extraordinary breakthrough, capturing data that was known to very few individuals and proved to be essential to the search operation.

NARRATOR: Their search effort focused on a vast expanse of ocean along the seventh arc, estimating that the plane could be within a 140-mile range on either side, which coincided with the maximum glide capacity of a Boeing 777. The seventh arc was situated more than 1,500 miles from the closest land, posing a significant challenge for the search. Two powerful storms had passed through the region since the aircraft's disappearance, further complicating the quest. A total of 22 aircraft and 19 surface vessels tirelessly scoured the area, yet surface debris remained conspicuously absent.

PETER: When an aircraft enters the ocean with kinetic energy, it typically leaves signs, such as potential oil slicks and various buoyant objects released as debris.