PETALING JAYA: As investigators all over the world search for clues in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370 on March 8, U.S. authorities increasingly suspect it to be part of a suicide plot by a crew member.
Rep. Pete King, chair of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, told New York Post that there was a growing consensus "that this was a suicide by the pilot or co-pilot and that they wanted to get as far away and land in the farthest and deepest part of the ocean."
King said the scheme might have hinged on the hope that family members could still collect life insurance on the dead pilot or co-pilot.
“If they never find the plane, they can’t call it suicide,” The Post quoted him as saying.
On Monday, acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hushammuddin Hussein told a press conference in Sepang that police were looking into possible pilot suicide in their investigation.
He declined to say whether any of the 227 passengers and 12 crew had any personal problems.
"No, I cannot say at the moment," said Hishammuddin to a query.
King said American authorities don’t believe the Beijing-bound MH370 flew north toward Asia after veering off course over the Gulf of Thailand.
Instead, they suspect it headed south toward the Indian Ocean, which holds some of the deepest spots of any ocean.
“This is still a mystery, but if there is any consensus now, it’s that it was a suicide by the pilot or co-pilot and he wanted to go as far as he could into the Indian Ocean,” King said.
King expressed doubt that the pilot and co-pilot were both in on the plan, adding, “One or the other would have to kill or somehow silence the other.”
He said the plane’s sharp climb to 45,000 feet, as recorded by Malaysian military radar, would probably have “incapacitated” everyone outside the cockpit by rapidly reducing oxygen levels in the cabin.
Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar had said hijacking, sabotage or psychological problems of someone on board were being investigated.
RMAF chief Maj. Gen. Affendi Buang said it was unclear whether the pilot or co-pilot spoke the last words heard by ground controllers.
He also said the fact that whoever was at the microphone didn’t mention the disabled communication system “will tell you something . . . because this is something not normal that the pilot would do.”
Although there have been previous suspected instances of murder-suicides by pilots of passenger planes, officials have traditionally been reluctant to accept that conclusion even in the face of compelling evidence.
A US investigation into the 1999 crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 out of JFK determined that co-pilot Gameel El-Batouty was alone on the flight deck when he switched off the autopilot, put the plane into a dive and repeatedly said, “I rely on God!” as it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, killing all 217 aboard.
Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.
