The Guardian

MH370 four years on: until the plane is found, theories run wild

From hypoxia to a rogue pilot, there are various contenders for what happened to the Malaysia Airlines flight in March 2014
Malaysia Airlines MH370 went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Photograph: Laurent Errera

Four years since it disappeared, the reason Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 left its planned flightpath and headed towards the Indian Ocean is still one of aviation’s most perplexing mysteries.

The Malaysian government has prepared a report on potential causes of the disappearance, but it will not be released until the latest search – by the ship Seabed Constructor – finishes in June.

In the vacuum of information, theories – some more likely than others – have sprung up. These are the four main contenders:

Mass hypoxia event

The official theory, adopted by both the Malaysian government and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, is that the passengers and crew of MH370 were incapacitated by an unknown . Hypoxia is a deficiency

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