MH370 departed from Kuala Lumpur Airport on March 8, 2014, destined for Beijing, China, with 239 people on board. The Boeing 777 last communicated with air traffic control at 1:19am while travelling over the South China Sea, before disappearing altogether. However, a secret investigation may have discovered an emergency signal made moments before the jet vanished.
Malaysian police detailed how a telecommunication tower at Bandar Baru Farlim Penang in Malaysia detected a mobile number registered to Mr Hamid minutes before the plane dropped off the radar.
Former easyJet chief pilot Mike Keane said this supported the theory that Captain Zaharie Shah forcefully took control of the aircraft before plunging it into the sea.
He believes Mr Shah told Mr Hamid to go to the cabin before he locked the cockpit and depressurised the plane.
He theorises that Mr Hamid then used his phone in a desperate attempt to contact authorities.
He said in March: “The first officer would have been skilled in responding to depressurisation due to regular training.
“If Fariq had his mobile phone with him ... Read even more
