Fans Call 'MH370' Documentary A 'Reckless And Insincere' Attempt At Summarizing The Tragedy
Fans Declare 'MH370' Documentary As A Reckless And Insincere Attempt At Summarizing The Tragedy
Filmmaker Louise Malkinson and producer Harry Hewland team up for MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, which digs into the numerous theories behind the disappearance of the 777 on its routine red-eye journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The first episode of the three-part series focuses mainly on the plane's disappearance and the government of Malaysia's response to it.
After moving from Malaysian air traffic control to Vietnamese air traffic control in Ho Chi Minh City, MH370 disappeared from all screens.
Families of the passengers and crew members gathered in Kuala Lumpur and Beijing to wait for news.
Rumors were spreading that the plane may have made a sharp left turn and crossed back over the Malay Peninsula, heading either north into Asia or south into the remote Indian Ocean.
Several people are interviewed in this documentary, including family members of passengers and crew, Malaysian aviation investigators, investigative reporter Jeff Wise, and citizen investigators looking into the many possible explanations for what occurred.
The first speculation included the pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah.
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The general theory is that he banned his co-pilot from the cockpit, dropped cabin pressure until the oxygen masks ran out, and then flew the jet south over the Indian Ocean until it ran out of fuel.
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Second theory: Russian Hijackers
Wise, a former Independent Group member, has another MH370 scenario resembling a James Bond movie.
A surface-to-air missile downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, another 777, over Ukraine a few months after the flight went missing. He believed two of the three diverted attention while the third flew the jet remotely. The theory was shortly debunked.
"Anyone who gets into the hatch can disable the transponder and disable the communications systems," Sharuji says. "But flying the aircraft from the avionics compartment is impossible."
Wise's coworkers similarly dismissed the concept.
"[The group is] certain that the plane turned south, not north. It was surprising that Jeff decided to take off on this route," says Exner. Wise's speculations stopped with his Independent Group dismissal.
Third Theory: American Interception
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There is also the outlandish theory that the United States military, which was conducting drills in the South China Sea at the time, shot down MH370 at the location where it lost radar contact, halfway between Malaysian and Vietnamese airspace.
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Florence de Changy, a French journalist, has noted that MH370 was carrying 2.5 tons of electronics without first scanning the cargo.
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¡°It¡¯s public knowledge that China was very eager to acquire highly sensitive US technology in the field of surveillance, stealth, drone technology,¡± de Changy says.
¡°This could be at the heart of what happened to MH370.¡±
In the evening, MH370 took off, and the United States had two radar-jamming aircraft with an Airborne Warning & Control System (AWAC) nearby.
Hoda Emam/Reuters
De Changy speculates that they were deployed to electrically take the jet off the radar, at which point Shah was explicitly instructed to land.
She maintains that when he called to keep the airplane on track, ¡°either through a missile strike or a midair collision, MH370 met its fate.¡±
Although de Changy shares Wise's lack of evidence, her argument is not supported by Inmarsat data projections. Exner is critical of her for utilizing the controversial theory to market her book "The Disappearing Act: The Impossible Case of MH370," which was published in 2021.
I don't think I will be watching that documentary of #MH370 any time soon.
¡ª Azrul Mohd Khalib (@azrulmohdkhalib) March 8, 2023
I lost a friend and colleague on that flight. Someone who I regularly went to lunch with and chatted about stuff. She was a wonderful person & full of life. Also onboard were her mum, sister & aunt.
After viewing the three-part docuseries, the audience pointed out that much focus was on conspiracy theories, and victims' families were not interviewed.
WHY THE FUCK DIDN¡¯T THAT GIRL ANSWER HER FATHER¡¯S CALL WHEN THE PLANE WENT MISSING??!????!! #MH370 #Netflix
¡ª LeonarD ¥Ä (@leonardftw) March 8, 2023
Many pointed out that the Singapore authorities and Malaysian airlines failed to act wisely and track the plane.
Several viewers of MH370: The Plane That Disappeared have taken to social media to express their displeasure, stating that the series offers no new information beyond the "theories" mentioned.
Here are the reactions.
I spent my night watching ¡°MH370: The Plane That Disappeared¡± documentary and it¡¯s disappointing to see that Netflix gave more screentime to the conspiracy theorists than the actual experts or family members of the victim.
¡ª emc (@eulyxx) March 8, 2023
totally disagree with @netflix's documentary of flight #MH370. It only promotes conspiracy theories without any valid arguments and proof of what they suggest. There are a lot of other documentaries in youtube with aviation experts speaking; i suggest watching them instead pic.twitter.com/KBFkBigXw7
¡ª kcinanastasi (@Nick__Anastasi) March 9, 2023
1. Why wait 2 years to release the info of the pilots flight simulator flight path that was similar to actual flight path of flight MH370
¡ª Amit Patel ? (@Pateliii) March 8, 2023
2. What was in that unchecked cargo that was on flight.
3. That phone call the girl received
4. Why wasn¡¯t the black box mentioned #MH370
The Netflix #MH370 documentary is a masterpiece of complete sensational conspiracy bullshit based on theories of a blogger who finds himself way too important.
¡ª Jill (@jillloislingen) March 8, 2023
Watching half of episode 1 on Netflix made me realise that the Malaysian government then were so so shady during press conferences. #MH370
¡ª rahull (@rahulnambiar26) March 8, 2023
Wow NETFLIX #MH370 doc was so disappointing, dominated by Jeff Wise & Florence de Changy ridiculous & unsupported conspiracy theories. So sad for the Voice370 families. Inmarsat is real, Blaine Gibson is real, the plane is in the SIO. Resume the underwater search @cryfortruth
¡ª David Mearns OAM (@davidlmearns) March 8, 2023
Hey, @netflix! A documentary is supposed to be based on mostly facts and at the very least provide some sort of clarity, not leave you confused with a billion other questions that you didn¡¯t even have 9 years ago. The lack of intelligence is almost frustrating. #MH370
¡ª Shreedhee Sajeev (@shreedheesajeev) March 9, 2023
The new Netflix #MH370 programme shouldn't be allowed to be classified as a documentary. Mostly ridiculous conspiracy theory nonsense mixed in with people with little more than an internet connection and spare time thinking they know more than experts on the matter. Utter shite
¡ª PD Jenkins ?????????? (@PDPie85) March 8, 2023
just done watching @netflix¡¯s #MH370 all I can say about the doc is that it¡¯s baseless. jeff wise¡¯s narration & theories seem utter bullshit.
¡ª staywithmimi (@MiraliSakhiya) March 8, 2023
9 years on and still a mystery, all we got is unanswered questions.
My heart goes to the families of the victims, hope they get closure.
Watching the #MH370 #Netflix documentary and why is no one talking about the girl who¡¯s dad literally called her after they all tried calling their family? for real??? what happened?
¡ª Alvin Lasco (@LascoAlvin) March 8, 2023
Im so confused why they just skimmed over the satellite images the lady said she found of the plane, you can clearly see the tail?? Why has it all been focused on going back west? ?? im baffled coz that seemed like a credible lead #MH370 #netflix #mh370theplanethatdisappeared
¡ª Lauren (@Lauren_mcmahon_) March 8, 2023
#MH370 on #Netflix seems to be giving air to absolutely ridiculous theories about what happened. One guy was convinced it was the pilot in Episode 1. By Episode 2 he was convinced it was a Russian plot. Episode 3 rolls around and now he thinks America did it. Absolutely bonkers.
¡ª Scarlett Shaw (@ScarlettShaw) March 8, 2023
Just finished watching #MH370 on netflix. I never expected to see the theory of the pilot committing mass murder presented so boldly on Netflix. Losing a loved one is already devastating, let alone having to endure the added pain of having them accused of committing mass murder.
¡ª LANA (@LanaNoordin) March 8, 2023
Watching that #MH370 on Netflix. I can¡¯t believe that they didn¡¯t trace that phone call ringing somewhere?? I mean, it¡¯s 2014 we have great technology 9 years ago? pic.twitter.com/UdtMZgvKBB
¡ª d3rf (@notFredric) March 8, 2023
currently watching #MH370 on netflix and what pisses me off is the fact that they used jeff wise as the main source/blueprint for this whole documentary
¡ª ¨¢ (@alanissshhh) March 8, 2023
Just watched the #MH370 Netflix doc and I can¡¯t get past the fact that the plane only had fuel to last seven hours, disappeared at 1am, but the entire next day people¡¯s calls were still going through and that one girl had an incoming call from her dad?? the math is not mathing
¡ª denver era chelsea?? (@diaryofcdd) March 9, 2023
This blogger has gone around town, saying the captain of #MH370 committed mass murder & suicide promoting his blog and website on major networks, but he hasnt provided a motive on why Cpt Zahari would have done that He's just making stuff up to support his warped theory #netflix pic.twitter.com/r5wfVGlhJj
¡ª Silly Chili (@SteamBake) March 8, 2023
#MH370 on #Netflix has me puzzled.
¡ª Kimberly Muchina (@MuchinaKimberly) March 8, 2023
1.Why did they ignore the fact that the calls were going through & the girl and the dad?
2.Why is no one looking for the debris that was found in South China Sea?
3. How could they not track a plane that flew over the airspace of 6 countries?
My heart goes out to the families the pain must be unbearable. @Netflix this documentary seemed to be based on conspiracy theories #Netflix #MH370 #MH370ThePlaneThatDisappeared pic.twitter.com/PjwQPmQ8W1
¡ª Cassia Keziah Maximen???? (@CassiaMaximen) March 9, 2023
The most fascinating part of this @netflix docuseries is the story of this girl's missed call from her Dad who was on-board #MH370. If that story is true then MH370 must have landed somewhere for her Dad to have gotten a cell signal. Where did the call come from?
¡ª Ken S (@kstaubin) March 9, 2023
Male Airport? pic.twitter.com/dgbQyFXRwd
Wasted 3 hours of my life last night watching the MH370 ¡°documentary¡± so you don¡¯t have to.
¡ª Maha Jeffery (@MahaJeffery) March 9, 2023
Calling this a documentary would be a stretch since Netflix would rather spend 80% of its screentime on wild conspiracy theories.
Don¡¯t get me started on Jeff Wise. Insulting. pic.twitter.com/oPAEqxCi6l
#MH370 Even after nine years I still search for answers on the DigitalGlobe/Tomnod scans from the SCS. Here is my latest find. The spacing of the rectangular lines match the Malaysia font. Crash debris will not be perfect, so IMO this is an almost perfect match to lettering. pic.twitter.com/IAjSHFmMBd
¡ª Cyndi L. Hendry (@CyndiLHendry) March 5, 2023
I¡¯m watching the MH370 docu series on Netflix and this Jeff Wise guy has to be one of the most batshit and ridiculous conspiracy theorists I¡¯ve ever seen.
¡ª mark (@marksiembida) March 9, 2023
Netflix dropped the ball big time on this. pic.twitter.com/gGXm4PvgQz
The Malaysian government has concluded that the jet crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, irrespective of the many theories that have been proposed.
The lack of debris or other tangible evidence frustrated the passengers' relatives, who had to rely on math instead.
MH370: One of the biggest mysteries in civil aviation
Edgar Su/Reuters
On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared somewhere over the South China Sea en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite a multi-national search operation that lasted for years, the missing plane and its 239 passengers and crew members have still not been located.
Jason Lee/Reuters
Subsea searches for the plane have cost around $200 million and spanned 120,000 square kilometers of the Indian Ocean. So, in January 2017, the undersea investigations were halted indefinitely.
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
The Malaysian government, however, has accepted a "no-cure, no-fee" offer from a US exploration company, Ocean Infinity, in 2018.
Researchers looked at 112,000 square kilometers of territory north of their first search zone for three months. Unfortunately, the investigation yielded no valuable results. In May 2018, they quit looking.
Samsul Said/Reuters
MalayMail cited a 495-page government report from July 2018 that concluded that MH370 had been purposefully diverted from its intended route. In terms of money spent, it ranks as aviation's priciest search-and-rescue mission ever.
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