MH370 remnants prove controlled crash; attempt by Capt Zaharie to save the flight?

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 7: The finding of wing parts of MH 370 has given rise to fresh speculations about captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's integrity. Interestingly, the parts showed visible signs of "controlled crash", which can mean two things. One, the flight was being steered/controlled towards a crash; second, it was being steered to safety.

Malaysia is divided on their opinions about the captain and his motives, but on closer look, the evidences found too gave a double meaning.

Consider what his sister Sakinab Shah says about him. She says that the pilot would never compromise the safety of his passengers, let alone taking this drastic step.

She said:

"I want the world to know here is a loving man who will (sic) stop at nothing to render help when it is needed. The setting-up of his home simulator, which he did in 2011, the consequences of which has aroused much suspicion and speculation, was innocent. But then, that was his passion since young. He so enjoyed aviation. He enjoyed flying toy planes, he spent a large amounts of money to pursue his hobby."

"As such, equating his home simulator to roguish intentions on his part is not fair. His presence during every family function never failed to light up the occasions. He was always sought after by sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews alike. A man of integrity. A generous brother and uncle who often came bearing gifts from his overseas trips."

Describing his cool-headedness and love for family, Sakinab said:

"During his younger days he would take my girls kite flying. They often relate the story of one occasion when the line snagged and the kite blew away. He packed them all in the car and drove to hunt for the runaway kite, which he finally located in someone else's possession. He negotiated to have the kite back, much to their thrill."

[Read: MH370 search result: Relatives looking for definite answers]

"They remember this up to this very day, (they) have had such fond memories of him since childhood.I remember taking a road trip with him from Kuala Lumpur to Krabi in Thailand two years ago. It was a long journey, filled with laughter and humour because he brought out the best in every situation. With his wit and pleasant demeanour, he managed to solve some issues at the border crossing between Malaysia and Thailand. That was a good experience for me and my sister. We are proud of him. It was during this trip that we talked about doing a similar road trip to Italy, which unfortunately will never happen," she further added

The controlled flight analysis

An analysis of the plane part has given rise to two theories. The first has been provided by Independent Group member Mike Exner who said that the plaperon had separated from the plane minutes before the impact during an in-flight breakup.

In his report, he said,"If the flaperon was on the aircraft when the aircraft contacted the water, it is very likely that there would be some compression damage on the leading edge. But there is virtually no apparent compression damage. This is much more consistent with the flaperon being ‘torn' from the wing while in high speed flight."

[Read: MH370's underwater locator beacon expired in 2012: Report]

He further deciphers that the break up was most likely due to very high speeds, flutter and perhaps loss of hydraulic/electrical power to the flaperon. This scenario is consistent with the steep, spiral descent observed in the B777-200 simulator.

Australian expert Neil Hansford, however, uses a part of the theory and adds his own to justify the controlled descent theory. "What damage to the flaperon does show is that the aircraft has gone into the water in a controlled-type crash and, as the engines have hit the water, they've sheared off and this part is straight behind one of the engines. There should be at least one other flaperon from the other wing."

[Read: MH370: 58 'Hard Objects' in Indian Ocean raise hopes]

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