A New Zealand oil rig worker has come forward claiming he witnessed Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 engulfed in flames on the night it disappeared. Mike McKay, 57, was working on the Songa Mercur oil rig off the coast of Vietnam on March 8, 2014, when he says he saw a plane on fire at high altitude.
McKay sent an email to his employers describing the sighting, stating he “observed the plane burning at high altitude at a compass bearing of 265 to 275 degrees from our surface location.” He added that the flames lasted 10-15 seconds and the plane appeared to be in one piece with no lateral movement.
The email was leaked to the media, leading to McKay losing his job. He said: “Of course, I ended up looking like a fool. But what happened to me is of no consequence considering those who lost family on the flight.” Vietnamese authorities did dispatch aircraft to search based on his report.
McKay has questioned the official search narrative, asking why it took six days for primary radar data to be released and what the two sonar locators investigated in the Indian Ocean were. He suggested the plane may have broken up in the South China Sea or south of Sumatra, rather than off the west coast of Australia.
Recent search efforts by Ocean Infinity were halted in April, with Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke stating they will resume at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Egyptair Chief Engineer Ismail Hammad has questioned the condition of wreckage found, claiming the paint is too intact for debris that had been in salt water for years.
