The
MH370 disappeared from radar contact about 120 nm East of Kota Baru. At this
point in time there is still no trace of debris to confirm a crash or explosion
and both possibilities could be ruled out. Other than the Bermuda TriangleTheory,
my view is that the aircraft was likely to be hijacked. The fact that there was
no radar contact means that it was deliberately flown under radar coverage to
avoid detection and leaving no trails as to where it was heading. The other
point to note is that none of the passengers could make a call out with their
mobile phones, a sign that all their phones have been confiscated and they are
under duress. Given these assumptions, my
point is that the aircraft is hijacked by a team of professionals who knew
exactly what they were doing and had a meticulous plan to fly the aircraft to a
destination without being tracked or seen on radar.
How
could the hijackers do it? How could they fly the aircraft without appearing on
the radar screens of any radar or air traffic control stations? To do that the
hijackers must have knowledge of the locations of all the radars in the region.
The commercial radars of air traffic control towers are in Kota Baru, Penang/Butterworth,
Bangkok, Phuket and Ho Chi Minh City. There could be some
military radar stations in the area which I am not familiar with. The radars in
the south would be Singapore and to the east would be
in Sabah, Brunei and Manila.
Given
the presence of these radars and putting aside the unknown military radar
stations, the hijackers must chart a course from its last known position to
their planned destination without entering a radar zone. Two possible headings, 280 to the west or 100
to the east, would keep them out of the radars in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City in the north and
Penang/Butterworth and Kota Baru in the south.
The
aircraft needed only to travel at below 10,000 ft in either direction for 30
minutes to be out of radar detection. Going west, however would not go far as
the path would enter into Phuket if it tries to avoid Penang/Butterworth
radars. The eastern flight path is safer, after 30 minutes heading 100, it
could turn to 060 on a north easterly direction, climb to cruise level and fly
for two hours while avoiding radars in Singapore and East Malaysia. The aircraft would have to turn to a south
easterly direction if it were to avoid the radar in Manila. Assuming that the
hijackers are muslims, just assuming, they are likely to head towards the
southern islands in the Philippines where they could find
friendly forces to accommodate them or their fellow hijackers awaiting them.
The
above are just speculations of what the hijackers could do given where they
were and where they could fly to, and to stay away from radar detection. This
is one of many possible explanations why the MH370 could not be seen on radar
other than a total eclipse due to a mid air explosion or sinking into the
ocean. If this theory is proven right, MH370 is likely to be in the southern
islands of the Philippines.
Just
a theory, an educated guess.