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Ben Westcott

News broke today that searchers may have discovered part of the remains of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared more than a year ago and left in its place one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time.
The passenger plane was running a routine flight between Malaysia and Beijing on March 8 last year when it disappeared less than an hour after it took off.
Despite an international search covering millions of kilometres and comprising crews from Australia, Malaysia and the United States, among others, no trace was found until today.
READ MORE: ‘We’ve been kept in the dark’: Chinese MH370 relatives complain about lack of information after wreckage discovery
With the potential discovery of part of the plane’s wreckage, grieving families could be one step closer to finding out what happened on that fateful day 16 months ago.
Here are some of the questions the world is still waiting to find out:
What happened on board the plane?
On board MH370 when it vanished were 239 people – 227 passengers from 15 different countries including China and Malaysia, as well as 12 Malaysian crew members.
Without the black box, which went down with the plane, no one knows exactly what occurred inside the cabin on March 8th last year. The last words spoken by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah to ground control in Kuala Lumpur were: “Good night. Malaysian three seven zero.”
Shah was supposed to sign on afterwards with Ho Chi Minh air traffic control. He never did.
Despite much speculation and analysis, no one knows for sure what happened after the captain’s last sign-off. Maybe a clue will lie in the wreckage of the plane.
Why did it crash?
Many different explanations have been given for the presumed crash of MH370, ranging from a failed terrorist hijacking to problems with the plane’s captain.
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, an event where the crew became unresponsive or deprived of oxygen would make the most sense in the circumstances.
It would explain the steadily maintained cruise altitude and the long period without en-route manoeuvring, the report said
But still, without the black box or wreckage, no definitive answer can be given on what happened to the missing plane or why it crashed.
Officially the Malaysian government declared on January 29 that the crash was an “accident” and the passengers and crew were dead.

Was the pilot to blame for what happened?
A lot of attention was paid to the captain after the plane’s initial disappearance, including news that a flight simulator had been found inside his home with its data erased.
But a report released by the official investigation team in March said they had found no evidence of a “history of apathy, anxiety or irritability” or change in the “lifestyle, interpersonal conflict or family stresses” of the captain.
It said no evidence had been found which implicated the crew of MH370 either.
Was this a failed terrorist attack?
While it is impossible to be sure without the black box, there has been no link made between any passengers onboard the plane when it vanished and terrorist organisations.
Both the United States and Chinese governments have gone over the backgrounds of all 227 passengers in detail and failed to turn up any suspicious passengers.
Two Iranian nationals who were originally subject to suspicion were cleared by Interpol early in the investigation.

Where is the rest of the wreckage?
Following the plane’s disappearance, a huge search was undertaken by more than 20 countries involving about 60 ships and 50 aircraft.
It focused mainly on the area off the west coast of Australia and covered an area measuring hundreds of thousands of square kilometres.
Despite this, no trace of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight was discovered.
The wing debris believed to be from MH370 washed up on a beach on Reunion Island, off the coast of Africa and on the other side of the Indian Ocean, thousands of kilometres from where the search took place.
Given this, it could be very difficult to find the exact location of the missing plane.


Families of MH370 passengers urge Malaysia to extend ocean search

Will Ocean Infinity finally solve the flight MH370 mystery in Indian Ocean?

Chinese court orders Malaysia Airlines to pay families of 8 missing MH370 victims

Malaysia resumes MH370 search with Ocean Infinity in Indian Ocean after more than a decade

Malaysia Airlines flight 370

Five lingering questions about the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370

This ship was involved in the search for MH370. It now appears it may have been looking in the wrong place. Photo: Reuters 

The disappearance of MH370 has had a major impact on the airline's business. Photo: EPA

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