I have avoided speculating on the causes of the disappearance of MH370, the Malaysian Airways passenger jet, not least because my 'hands on' experience of flying is confined to the regularity with which I crash my Cessna whilst playing on my MS Flight Simulator! So, whilst I am intrigued as to how the whole thing has disappeared - totally! - I have no theories but now I know a man who does - former pilot Chris Goodfellow who writes in The Telegraph today. He does not claim to know the cause but he does point to two strong possibilities, both of which are technical failures known to Boeing, the plane's maker, and to Malaysian Airways, the operator. The question he raises is whether or not Malaysian Airways responded to warnings issued by Boeing in regard to these two potential risks. He points out that the airline, in effect a government-owned operation, is deeply in the red with net losses of766 million) in the past three years.
He also points a finger of suspicion at the cargo:
But the issue that requires most clarity remains the plane’s cargo. It took almost three weeks for the world to learn that MH370 had been carrying a consignment of lithium-ion batteries. But we do not know for sure how many. What else of a hazardous nature was being carried? Published cargo records show neither the real shippers nor the real recipients. [My emphasis] The international community should demand total transparency from the Malaysians in regard to this.
According to Mr. Goodfellow, the Malaysian authorities have never been open and transparent in the handling of this tragedy and remain devious to this day. The fact that there might be serious criminal as well as huge civil liabilites involved leads Mr. Goodfellow to the conclusion that the entire investigation be removed from their hands.
