The theory that the pilot of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 may have deliberately caused its disappearance has become a central and enduring part of the investigation. While no definitive “smoking gun” has ever been found, a re-examination of key evidence has led many aviation experts to conclude that a deliberate act by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah is the most plausible explanation. The most compelling piece of evidence supporting this theory comes from a crucial discovery: data recovered from the pilot’s home flight simulator showed he had practiced a flight that ended in a remote region of the southern Indian Ocean, closely mirroring the final, projected flight path of MH370.

Further analysis of the plane’s flight path reinforces the deliberate act theory. After its last verbal contact, the aircraft’s transponder and other communication systems were deliberately turned off. The plane then executed a sharp U-turn, flying back across the Malay Peninsula in a series of maneuvers that allowed it to avoid both commercial and military radar. These actions required extensive knowledge of the aircraft’s systems and the region’s air traffic control, suggesting a planned, controlled act rather than a mechanical failure or a random hijacking. The flight path was not accidental; it was a carefully executed plan that pointed the plane to a remote and unpopulated part of the ocean, far from any land.

Although the official 2018 report from the Malaysian government was inconclusive, it did acknowledge that the aircraft’s change of course was the result of “manual manipulation” rather than a mechanical issue. This statement, while not directly assigning blame to the pilot, supports the conclusion that the plane did not go down due to an accident. The combination of the flight simulator data, the sophisticated nature of the in-flight maneuvers, and the final destination in an isolated area of the ocean has led a majority of investigators and analysts to believe that the pilot deliberately crashed the plane. This tragic theory remains the most widely accepted explanation for one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.