It’s been more than a week since Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared without a trace.  As the search continues and expands and as the mystery deepens, the theories and speculations grows more ridiculous.  It of course has to do with the fact that most people need answers.  Nothing is more frustrating than the unknown.  But the fact remains that there are answers.  Either the plane was hijacked and landed in a foreign country; highly unlikely. It was hijacked and flown in to the sea; possibly.  Or, the plane experienced a catastrophic failure or pilot error and it crashed in to the sea; also possibilities.  At this point, about the only theory that can be eliminated, is aliens.

A few very important points need to be made.  First, the Rolls Royce engines on the 777 are extremely reliable.  The 777 has never experienced an accident due to mechanical failure.  Once these engines are running at cruising speed, they don’t simply shut down.  That doesn’t mean that structural integrity wasn’t an issue but if the engines are running and the wings stay on, generally everyone on board will be safe.  Second, the pilot or co-pilot could have sabotaged the aircraft.  There seems to be some evidence pointing in this direction but no conclusions should yet be drawn.  Most airlines have reinforced the doors, so it’s unlikely a passenger or passengers broke in to the flight deck.   Third, pilot error can not be ruled out causing the aircraft to plummet in to the sea.

One thing I do not believe happened is that the plane landed in Pakistan or any other country and that it will be used at a later date for nefarious reasons.  While it’s possible to re-route an aircraft, a 777 is not just an aircraft, it’s a huge aircraft.  You can’t simply land it on any runway and you can’t just fly it overhead without people taking notice.  This plane will not reappear.  It went down somewhere in the sea and has simply not yet been found.  The wreckage and black boxes of Air France Flight 447 an A330 Airbus that went down in the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 on its way from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, France was not discovered for 2 years.  When the wreckage and black boxes are located, we will finally have the answers as to what actually happened aboard flight 370.