ClaimOfficial finding
The diversion likely resulted from manual inputs
Official 2018 consensus. Who made the inputs is not identified. Mechanical-only stories are a poor fit for a coherent reverse course plus comms dropout.
This is the strongest official statement about the turn-back, and it is still not a perpetrator finding.
Sources
- Malaysian Safety Investigation Report 2018
Related
TimelineOfficial finding7 Mar 2014 17:21 UTC
Turn back across the Malay Peninsula
17:21–17:52 UTC
EvidenceOfficial finding7 Mar 2014 17:21 UTC
Malaysian military primary-radar track
17:21–18:22 UTC · westbound after IGARI
HypothesisOpen
Flight-crew diversion
Manual inputs from the cockpit — who, and why, unproven
Open questionOpen
Who was flying after IGARI?
TimelineOfficial finding30 Jul 2018 00:00 UTC
Malaysia releases the safety investigation report
30 July 2018
DocumentOfficial finding30 Jul 2018 00:00 UTC
Safety Investigation Report — MH370
Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Team · 30 July 2018
PersonConfirmed
Kok Soo Chon
Chief inspector · Malaysian Annex 13 team
ClaimProbable
Capt. John Cox: preponderance is a deliberate act, high likelihood the captain
DocumentProbable13 Jun 2026
MH370: The Forensic Evidence
Capt. John Cox · Sit Down With Sid · 13 June 2026 · 37:10
DocumentProbable28 Sep 2023
Deep Dive: MH370 Episode Three — The Turn Back
Deep Dive Podcast Network · 28 September 2023 · 31:12