SYDNEY — From a hijacking to an alien abduction, countless theories have arisen about the fate of the Malaysian airliner that disappeared nearly two years ago.
With search crews just months away from finishing their thus-far fruitless sweep of a remote stretch of seabed where Flight 370 is believed to have crashed, officials appear no closer to solving one of the most mind-boggling mysteries of modern times. That stubborn lack of resolution has only increased speculation about what might have happened to the Boeing 777 after it vanished with 239 people on board on March 8, 2014. Here’s a look at a few of the theories that investigators view as unlikely:
NORTH INSTEAD OF SOUTH: After veering off-course shortly after takeoff on its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, officials believe the plane flew south on a straight path into the abyss of the southern Indian Ocean. They arrived at that conclusion after analyzing exchanges between the plane’s engine and a satellite. But some people insist the plane instead flew north into Asia, and that the satellite data indicating otherwise was tampered with.
Dolan dismisses that theory, noting that British satellite company Inmarsat, which provided the satellite data to investigators, is a widely respected company with a solid track record.
Beyond that, a wing part from the plane washed ashore on Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean in July, effectively eliminating the possibility that the rest of the plane ended up in the Northern Hemisphere. That said, a few people have suggested the wing flap was planted on the island by terrorists.
WEST TO THE MALDIVES: Some argue the plane must have traveled west to the remote Indian Ocean island nation of the Maldives after early reports emerged of locals spotting a low-flying plane in the area around the time Flight 370 vanished.
The military in the Maldives told Malaysia that those reports of sightings turned out to be false. Last year, Malaysian investigators traveled to the Maldives to examine possible debris that had washed ashore, but it was determined to be unrelated to Flight 370.
IT WAS SHOT DOWN: One of the earliest theories suggested the plane was headed toward Diego Garcia, a British atoll in the Indian Ocean where the U.S. has a military base. The former head of the now-defunct Proteus Airlines, Marc Dugain, voiced his own theory that U.S. military, fearing a Sept. 11-style attack, may have shot down the plane as it approached the atoll. The U.S. has denied the aircraft came anywhere near Diego Garcia.
IT WAS HIJACKED BY PASSENGERS: This theory gained traction after it was discovered that two Iranians on board were traveling on stolen passports. Investigators cleared the two after finding nothing linking them to terror groups; it is believed they were trying to illegally immigrate to Europe.
