An aviation expert is claiming Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 could have been brought down by a stowaway hiding somewhere on the plane.
- France reopens MH370 investigation after Malaysia accused of cover-up
- Missing MH370 flight believed to be a 'deliberate act'
- Aviation experts declare MH370 disappearance a 'murder-suicide' mission
Aviation Security International editor Philip Baum first raised this theory a week into the plane's disappearance, but said in a lecture that experts haven't taken it seriously as a possibility.
The Boeing 777 was on a routine commercial flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8th 2014 when it veered off course, flying across the Indian Ocean then vanishing. It was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew at the time.
Despite two massive searches of the ocean floor, only scattered debris has been found.
The 'final report' into the flight's disappearance wrapped up this month, and says there is no reason to suspect mechanical failure, and neither the captain nor first officer of the plane displayed malicious intent, the Independent reports.
The 19-strong team of Malaysian investigators concluded that they are "unable to determine the real cause" for the plane's disappearance.
According to the Independent, their report did not consider the possibility of a stowaway - someone sneaking onto the plane and concealing themselves from crew.
However, investigator Kok Soo Chon says the possibility could not be entirely ruled out.
"We cannot establish if the aircraft was flown by anyone other than the pilot, but we also cannot exclude the possibility that there was unlawful interference by a third party," he told media at a press conference.
That's the theory Mr Baum is hoping investigators will continue to look into.
Though the official report is over, France has reopened its investigation after Malaysia was accused of covering up the truth in its final report.
In a guest lecture at Coventry University in the UK, Mr Baum said no officials seem to want to even contemplate the possibility of an on-board stowaway.
He claims one or more people could have snuck onto the plane on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur and hidden in the under floor avionics bay behind the flight deck.
His magazine reports that 123 stowaway attempts have been reported across the world on 107 different flights. Some people hide in the wheel wells, risking falling or freezing to death when the wheels retract. Others have disguised themselves as cleaners or airport officials while boarding, then hidden in the cabin.
Newshub.
