The Pilot [S1Ep9]
Looking for clues in the captain's past
Who would steal a 777 with 239 people on board, and why? In today’s episode, a remastered version of Season One Episode Nine from last November, co-host Andy Tarnoff and I shine a spotlight on the character of the chief suspect, veteran Malaysia Airlines captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah.
In the weeks after the disappearance of MH370 the theory that quickly came to the fore was that one of the pilots had seized control of the plane and flown it on a murder-suicide mission into the southern Indian Ocean. While there have been a handful of known cases where pilots have flown their own plane into the ground, no one had ever before carried out a sophisticated, complicated, and aggressive plan to abscond with an airplane only to spend seven hours patiently waiting to die. But there seemed no other way to easily explain the sequence of events that emerged from the Inmarsat data. What would such a person be like, psychologically? What kind of traces would they leave behind in their social media, in their personal photographs and work records, and in the memories of those who knew them? In today’s episode we review the evidence concerning Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid.
“Jeff, I just listened to this episode, and I wanted to share a perspective that might bring clarity where there seems to be ongoing speculation. I have been researching MH370 intensively for the past 10 years, and I believe there’s a decisive path we can follow regarding the role of the first officer.
Throughout the episode, I noticed a lot of back-and-forth on who might have influenced the flight path and why. Speculating between the captain and the first officer based on unclear or mixed signals doesn’t give listeners a solid answer, especially when a deeper analysis could reveal stronger, more consistent indicators.
What if we focused on the available flight data and ring patterns at specific intervals to evaluate what is consistent with the plane’s movements, instead of rehashing who could have been at fault? I’ve identified a flight path that aligns precisely with the satellite pings and ring locations every hour, which is more than coincidence. This path supports my theory that the first officer’s role is central, and I’m ready to discuss this in full detail. I challenge any existing theory with my findings, as they provide the most consistent match with known data points.
If you’re up for it, I would love to be part of an episode to walk you and your listeners through the full timeline, from takeoff to disappearance, using factual path evidence. Let’s dig deep into this with facts that don’t flip-flop but instead lead us toward real answers.
Looking forward to the chance to discuss this. Thanks for the thought-provoking episode!”