The missing Malaysia Airlines jet’s abrupt U-turn was programmed into the on-board computer well before the co-pilot calmly signed off with air traffic controllers, sources tell NBC News.
The change in direction was made at least 12 minutes before co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid said “All right, good night,” to controllers on the ground, the sources said.
The revelation further indicates that the aircraft’s mysterious turnaround was planned and executed in the cockpit before controllers lost contact with Flight 370. But it doesn’t necessarily indicate an ulterior motive.
“Some pilots program an alternate flight plan in the event of an emergency,” cautioned Greg Feith, a former National Transportation Safety Board crash investigator and NBC News analyst.
