Malaysian officials now believe that missing MAS flight MH370 may have been deliberately turned towards the Indian Ocean by someone with up-to-date knowledge of flying and radar positions, a senior military official told AFP Saturday.
The comments lend credence to growing suspicions that the plane, which disappeared a week ago with 239 passengers and crew, might have been commandeered.
“It has to be a skilled, competent and a current pilot,” said the official, who is involved in a vast international search and rescue operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The plane flew in the direction of the Indian Ocean far west of its intended flight path “for four to five hours,” the official said.
“He knew how to avoid the civilian radar. He appears to have studied how to avoid it.”
Malaysia’s air force has previously said that it was investigating an unidentified object spotted by military radar data heading toward the Andaman Sea in the hours after the passenger plane went missing around 1.30am.
The official would not divulge details of the military data, citing an ongoing investigation.
The Boeing 777 vanished early last Saturday on an overnight flight over the South China Sea with no indication of distress, on a clear night.
The plane has one of the best safety records of any jet, and the airline also has a solid record.
15/03/14 AFP/The Star
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The comments lend credence to growing suspicions that the plane, which disappeared a week ago with 239 passengers and crew, might have been commandeered.
“It has to be a skilled, competent and a current pilot,” said the official, who is involved in a vast international search and rescue operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The plane flew in the direction of the Indian Ocean far west of its intended flight path “for four to five hours,” the official said.
“He knew how to avoid the civilian radar. He appears to have studied how to avoid it.”
Malaysia’s air force has previously said that it was investigating an unidentified object spotted by military radar data heading toward the Andaman Sea in the hours after the passenger plane went missing around 1.30am.
The official would not divulge details of the military data, citing an ongoing investigation.
The Boeing 777 vanished early last Saturday on an overnight flight over the South China Sea with no indication of distress, on a clear night.
The plane has one of the best safety records of any jet, and the airline also has a solid record.
15/03/14 AFP/The Star
