Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 24 March 2014, that new analysis of satellite data suggested that the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 "ended" in the southern Indian Ocean. He also said the type of analysis used to investigate the mystery of the jetliner's disappearance has never been used before. The statement sparked intense speculation on the part of international media.

According to an expert analyst, the final path of MH370 showed indications of having been pre-planned

At a press conference on March 16, the Malaysian explained that a plane would usually carry additional fuel to allow for an extra flight time of 45 minutes to 1 hour, so with a normal fuel payload MH370 could have flown for 7.5 to 8 hours.

Yue Gang, an anti-terrorist expert and military commentator, suggested that before the plane went missing, it was taken over by onboard professionals, as the flight path showed indications of having been pre-planned. The "hijackers" might have run out of fuel before reaching their destination and been forced to ditch in the sea. The plane might have sunk to the ocean floor with little damage.

According to Yue Gang, early reports showed that the captain might have been involved in the incident. Firstly, the plane turned round at precisely the point when air traffic control was being handed over from one country to another; secondly, the plane took actions to avoid radar; and thirdly, the flying height was higher than normal and the responder was shut off.

Why were satellites unable to locate the plane? If the plane sank to the ocean floor comparatively intact, then in the immediate aftermath there would be no extensive wreckage visible on the surface, so satellites would not spot it. But with more than ten days having elapsed, under high pressure on the ocean floor, some weaker parts of the plane could have become detached and floated to the surface. We should therefore wait for satellite data to verify our predictions.

The article is edited and translated from《为何未见残骸就确认“终结”？》, source: Beijing News.