Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Theories: Was Plane Shot Down in Mid Air?

The mysterious disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on Saturday morning has given rise to a number of conspiracy and cover up theories.

Alongside more prosaic explanations, theories flagged on the Professional Pilots Rumour Network say the MH 370 was hit by missiles and that the surrounding countries are involved in a military conspiracy, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Meanwhile, some are speculating that the plane was accidentally shot down. The rumours have been fuelled by the fact that military radar recordings which may have tracked the aircraft are yet to be brought forward,

According to an AP report (via Washington Post), there have been incidents when a country's military unintentionally shot down a civilian aircraft; in 1988, the United States Navy missile cruiser USS Vincennes accidently shot down an Iran Air flight on the Bandar Abbas-Dubai route, killing all 290 passengers and crew.

Only time will tell what really happened with the ill-fated flight. One expert quoted by IBTimes UK suggested that terrorism was the most likely explanation, but added that this theory still fails to explain why the debris has not been found.

Owen Geach said: "whatever scenario you look at, it doesn't the answer the question of why the aircraft has been missing for three days. If the plane has suffered a terrorist attack, why is there no debris?

"Also, it would be very surprising if the plane hadn't sent out any form of signal before it exploded. The pilot, you would expect, would have put out a mayday signal."

According to the AP report, It could take investigators months, if not years, to determine what happened to the Boeing 777.

"At this early stage, we're focusing on the facts that we don't know," said Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer with Boeing who worked on its 777 wide-body jets and is now director of the Airsafe.com Foundation.