United States investigators suspect that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 stayed in the air for about four hours past the time it reached its last confirmed location, according to two people familiar with the details, raising the possibility that the plane could have flown on for hundreds of additional miles under conditions that remain murky.
On Thursday afternoon Malaysia’s civil aviation chief said there were no signs of the missing jet at a location where Chinese satellite images have shown what might be plane debris.
A total flight time of five hours after departing Kuala Lumpur means the Boeing 777 could have continued for an additional distance of about 2200 nautical miles, reaching points as far as the Indian Ocean, the border of Pakistan or even the Arabian Sea, based on the jet’s cruising speed.
Former British MI6 and Australian Secret Intelligence Service analyst Warren Reed said the latest development suggested it was possible the plane was diverted to North Korea.
“North Korea might have the audacity to pull off something like this however unlikely it seems,’’ Mr Reed said, Financial Review informs.
