Final two communications from MH370 support controlled descent scenario (2021)
New analysis of the final satellite communications from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has revived theories that the aircraft ended in a controlled descent rather than an uncontrolled dive, prompting renewed debate over what that would imply for passenger survival and the pilot’s intentions. Commenters examine technical details of depressurisation, oxygen systems, glide performance, and the extreme difficulty of ditching a wide-body jet in the open ocean, alongside the limitations and misuses of tracking and search technology that hampered earlier efforts. The conversation contrasts relatively simple pilot murder‑suicide explanations with more elaborate conspiracy and “perfect hiding place” claims, and raises concerns that intense media focus on such scenarios could encourage copycat events.
Controlled descent and fate of passengers
- Thread starts by asking: if the airplane glided under control, why no survivors or signals?
- Multiple replies stress: escaping a damaged, rapidly sinking airliner in open ocean is extremely hard; even in calm seas, survivors are very hard to spot.
- Life vests lack active beacons; if slides/rafts weren’t properly deployed, detection chances were near zero.
Cabin depressurization and murder‑suicide scenario
- Several comments outline a scenario: deliberate depressurization at cruise altitude, with pilots using long‑endurance oxygen while passengers’ masks run out in 15–30 minutes.
- At high altitude, even with masks, passengers would quickly lose consciousness unless the aircraft descended.
- This is compared to past depressurization accidents; many see deliberate pilot action as the most plausible explanation.
- Others question why aircraft even allow manual depressurization; replies point out it’s needed for fires, malfunctions, and that pilots already have many ways to crash a plane.
Water ditching feasibility
- Consensus: ditching a large airliner in open ocean is possible but extremely dangerous and rarely survivable for most occupants, unlike the Hudson River case.
- Examples of past ditchings show high fatality rates; open‑ocean waves and under‑wing engines make controlled water landings especially hard.
Location hypotheses and search methods
- New “perfect hiding place” claim (Broken Ridge) is noted from popular press; commenters question the framing that previous narratives were “no‑blame.”
- A barnacle‑drift (balanidae) study on recovered debris is highlighted as a potentially more accurate constraint on the crash location than “arc” models.
- A WSPR radio‑scatter tracking proposal is recalled and heavily criticized as non‑reproducible and unvalidated.
Operational and UX issues in the search
- Discussion of how airline ops misread a commercial flight‑tracking website that extrapolated paths after loss of transponder data.
- Broader debate about poor interfaces and misunderstanding of data sources (altitude, fuel range, radar) in aviation systems, and how design vs training contributes to accidents.
Media, copycats, and ethics
- Concern raised that heavy focus on murder‑suicide narratives may trigger copycats; study cited linking publicity of murder‑suicides to subsequent fatal crashes.
- Tension noted between families’ right to know, press freedom, and risk of encouraging similar acts.
Conspiracy theories vs simpler explanations
- A high‑profile book proposing a shoot‑down/cover‑up is summarized and widely dismissed in the thread as a conspiracy theory that fails Occam’s Razor.
- Late‑breaking claim that its scenario was partly constructed under editorial pressure is mentioned.
- Multiple commenters converge on deliberate pilot murder‑suicide, likely involving depressurization, as the simplest explanation consistent with known data.