More than a decade after its baffling disappearance, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in aviation history. On 8 March 2014, the Boeing 777 vanished from radar with 239 people on board, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite multiple extensive searches, the main wreckage has never been found.
A New Search for Answers
On 30 December 2025, a renewed effort to locate the aircraft will commence. The US-based marine robotics company, Ocean Infinity, will launch a fourth, high-tech search of the Indian Ocean seabed off Western Australia. This latest mission rekindles hope for closure for the families of the 227 passengers and 12 crew members lost.
As the world awaits new findings, respected aviation security consultant Philip Baum has outlined to The Independent the five scenarios he considers most likely. Here, we examine each theory in detail.
1. Pilot-Assisted Suicide
A prominent theory centres on the aircraft's captain, 53-year-old Zaharie Shah. The hypothesis suggests he locked his first officer out of the cockpit, disabled communications systems, depressurised the cabin, and deliberately flew the jet to a remote part of the ocean.
This would have caused fatal hypoxia for everyone else on board before Captain Shah ultimately crashed the plane. Proponents note the flight's path, which appeared to skirt military radar zones before turning south.
However, the official investigation found no evidence of personal problems, anxiety, or changes in lifestyle for Captain Shah. While pilot suicide has been a factor in other crashes, none have involved such a prolonged and complex flight path after the event.
2. A Failed Hijacking by the Pilot
A less sinister but equally speculative idea is that one of the pilots intended to land or ditch the aircraft in a survivable manner but failed, succumbing to hypoxia alongside everyone else. Yet investigators found no plausible motive for such an audacious act.
The official report also notes that the pilots showed no signs of stress in radio communications. Furthermore, it states that automatic deployment of passenger oxygen masks cannot be deactivated from the cockpit, which would have allowed time for potential distress calls.
3. Hijacking by a Passenger or Cabin Crew
With 227 passengers and 10 cabin crew on board, the possibility of a hostile takeover cannot be entirely dismissed. Security at Kuala Lumpur International Airport was standard, but as history shows, this is not an absolute guarantee.
Two Iranian passengers were travelling on stolen passports, but they are believed to have been migrants, not terrorists. All cabin crew were married with children, which some argue makes them unlikely perpetrators. The official investigation found no intelligence to support this theory.
4. Remote Hijacking via Cyberterrorism
This theory delves into the realm of sophisticated cyber-terror. It hinges on a 2003 Boeing patent for a system allowing remote takeover of an aircraft to foil hijackings. The converse fear is that such technology could be exploited by criminals on the ground.
However, Boeing explicitly told investigators that this system was never implemented on any commercial aircraft, including the missing 777. The official report concludes there is no evidence to support remote seizure.
5. Seizure by a Stowaway
Philip Baum ranks this as the second-most likely scenario after pilot suicide. It posits that someone with a grudge hid on the aircraft before departure, possibly in an underfloor area near the flight deck, overpowered the crew, and deactivated the transponder.
While there are precedents for disgruntled employees targeting airlines, the practical hurdles are immense. The perpetrator would need intimate knowledge and access, would have to overcome over 230 people, and their absence would need to go unnoticed. No terrorist group has ever credibly claimed responsibility for the flight's disappearance.
The enduring mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 continues to captivate and horrify in equal measure. The families of those lost have endured an agonising wait for answers. Whether the 2025 search by Ocean Infinity will finally provide them depends on what, if anything, is discovered on the vast and deep ocean floor. Until the wreckage is found, these five theories will continue to be debated, but none can be conclusively proven.
