Claim The aircraft landed and was hidden.
Timeline beat 8 Mar 2014 — Flight 370 departs
Inmarsat analysis, the 24 March 2014 announcement and later Indian Ocean debris contradict a secret landing with a whole airframe.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Notoriety96
Mystery90
Scale78
Evidence48
Legal impact55
Culture88
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Quick answers
What was Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?
A scheduled Boeing 777-200ER service, 9M-MRO, from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March 2014. It carried 227 passengers and 12 crew. It never arrived. The wreck has not been found.
When did contact end?
The last ATC voice call was shortly after 01:19 MYT near waypoint IGARI. Secondary radar then ceased. Military primary radar later showed a westward and then southward track. Inmarsat handshakes continued for hours.
Why do officials say the southern Indian Ocean?
Inmarsat handshake timing and frequency-offset analysis, announced by Malaysia on 24 March 2014 and later used by the ATSB, placed the end of flight on a southern arc. Debris later found on western Indian Ocean shores is consistent with that ocean, not with a landing in China.
Has any of the aircraft been found?
Yes, fragments. A right flaperon on Réunion in July 2015 was identified as from 9M-MRO. Other pieces were later accepted or treated as almost certain. The main wreckage and the recorders have not been located.
What did the 2018 Malaysian report conclude?
The Annex 13 safety investigation could not determine the cause. It recorded the reconstructed track, the debris and the limits of the evidence. It did not name a person as responsible.
Who led the ocean search?
After the southern-arc announcement, Australia’s JACC coordinated and the ATSB led the official seabed search west of Australia, with Malaysia and China as partners. That search ended in January 2017. Ocean Infinity searched again in 2018.
Operational time is one night in March 2014. Search time ran for years.
Dates below prefer ATC logs, Malaysian announcements, ATSB paper and debris identifications.
Timeline
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
- Flight 370 departs
9M-MRO leaves Kuala Lumpur for Beijing at 00:41 MYT with 239 people on board.
- Last ATC call
After the IGARI handoff the cockpit says good night. Secondary radar ceases. The aircraft is not on Ho Chi Minh’s frequency.
- First search boxes
Malaysia, Vietnam, China and others search the South China Sea and later the Strait of Malacca as military radar reconstructions emerge.
- Southern-ocean announcement
Najib Razak states that Inmarsat analysis shows the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean with no survivors.
- ATSB seabed search
Australia’s JACC and ATSB lead a 120,000-square-kilometre underwater survey west of Australia. No airframe is found.
- Réunion flaperon
A wing fragment is found on Réunion. French authorities later identify it as from 9M-MRO.
- Official search ends
The ATSB-led seabed search is suspended without the wreck. Malaysia, Australia and China issue a joint statement.
- Ocean Infinity sweep
A private contractor searches a further area under an agreement with Malaysia. No wreck is reported.
- Malaysian safety report
The Annex 13 investigation publishes its final report. Cause undetermined; wreck still missing.
- Open wreck-file
Families and later private proposals keep pressure for another search. No court or board has located 9M-MRO.
Claim versus timeline
Each public-record claim on this dossier sits beside the timeline chapter already on the page.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
Claim The 2018 report named the captain as the cause.
Timeline beat 8 Mar 2014 — Last ATC call
The safety investigation did not determine a cause and did not issue a criminal finding against Zaharie Ahmad Shah.
Claim The wreck has been found.
Timeline beat 8–15 Mar 2014 — First search boxes
Fragments have been found. The main wreckage and the recorders have not. Status remains unsolved.
Claim Nothing of the aircraft was ever recovered.
Timeline beat 24 Mar 2014 — Southern-ocean announcement
The Réunion flaperon and other identified pieces are from 9M-MRO. They are not a substitute for the wreck site.
Beat weight marks
Mark each timeline beat already on this dossier as supported, contested or unknown, using the public-record claims already filed here. Not a verdict.
Editorial marks on this device only. Public-record encyclopedia — not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
| Timeline beat | Supported / Contested / Unknown |
|---|---|
| 8 Mar 2014 — Flight 370 departs Claim already on file: The aircraft landed and was hidden. | |
| 8 Mar 2014 — Last ATC call Claim already on file: The 2018 report named the captain as the cause. | |
| 8–15 Mar 2014 — First search boxes Claim already on file: The wreck has been found. | |
| 24 Mar 2014 — Southern-ocean announcement Claim already on file: Nothing of the aircraft was ever recovered. | |
| 2014–17 — ATSB seabed search Claim already on file: Nothing of the aircraft was ever recovered. | |
| 29 Jul 2015 — Réunion flaperon Claim already on file: Nothing of the aircraft was ever recovered. | |
| 17 Jan 2017 — Official search ends Claim already on file: Nothing of the aircraft was ever recovered. | |
| Jan–May 2018 — Ocean Infinity sweep Claim already on file: Nothing of the aircraft was ever recovered. | |
| 30 Jul 2018 — Malaysian safety report Claim already on file: Nothing of the aircraft was ever recovered. | |
| 2018– — Open wreck-file Claim already on file: Nothing of the aircraft was ever recovered. |
After 2018 the official paper thins and the anniversary features thicken.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice. Not a how-to. Graphic detail is withheld. Wars belong in a separate atlas.