A man reported seeing the well-known Boeing 777, with 239 passengers, on fire.
The enduring enigma began on March 8, 2014, when the Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared during its journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. This incident remains one of the most significant mysteries in aviation history and the deadliest to date. In 2014, a worker on a New Zealand oil rig was dismissed after reporting a sighting of what he believed was MH370 on fire. While on a break at the Songa Mercur oil rig off the coast of Vietnam, Mike McKay, 57, witnessed the incident, as per CNN’s report.
McKay detailed seeing a plane on fire at a high altitude and promptly informed his employers via email, stating, “I observed the plane burning at high altitude at a compass bearing of 265 to 275 degrees from our surface location.” The email began with: “Gentlemen. I believe I saw the Malaysian Airlines flight come down. The timing is right. I tried to contact Malaysian and Vietnamese officials several days ago, but I do not know if the message has been received.”
He added: “While I observed the plane, it appeared to be intact. The duration from when I first saw the burning plane until the flames extinguished at a high altitude was 10-15 seconds. There was no sideways movement, indicating that it was either approaching our position, stationary (descending), or moving away from us. The approximate location of the sighting was at a right angle/south-west of the usual flight path and at a lower altitude than typical flight routes.”
The email, which included the workplace’s name, was leaked. McKay commented, “I ended up looking foolish, but that is insignificant compared to the families who lost loved ones on the flight. I shared my observation in a confidential email hoping it would aid in locating the families’ loved ones.
“This information was leaked to the media. Although I witnessed something, the distances from the last known position make it unlikely that my observation matches the plane’s expected route after contact was lost. I have numerous unresolved questions. How did the flight navigate back over the Malay Peninsula and pass over the F16 base at Butterworth and Penang Airport with minimal notice?
“This diverted the search away from the South China Sea. Why was there a delay of six days in releasing the primary radar data? What were the results of the two sonar locators investigated in the Indian Ocean? Where are the metal stress reports for the component discovered on Reunion Island? Such reports could reveal how the plane dis