Malaysia Airlines: The disappearance of MH370

In March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 completely disappeared and became one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history. The Boeing 777, carrying 239 people, lost contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur and, despite extensive search efforts, the plane was never found. In today’s episode of ‘What Just Happened?’, hosts Kate Hartley and Tamara Liitleton are joined by Rod Cartwright, who was directly involved in the crisis response. They discuss the many challenges faced by the crisis team, including a total lack of information coupled with widespread speculation and conspiracy theories. Dealing with an information vacuum made managing public expectations and misinformation particularly difficult, and this was not aided by the coordination between Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysian government or the media, which had a role to play in fuelling speculation. The search for MH370 is expected to resume ten years after the incident, offering a glimmer of hope for the families of those on board still seeking closure a decade later. A full transcript of today’s show is available to read here.