International and Australian aircrews involved in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370
International and Australian aircrews involved in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370 prepare for an official photograph as they stand on the tarmac at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Pierce Base in Bullsbrook, near Perth, April 29, 2014. The chance of finding floating debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner has become highly unlikely, and a new phase of the search would focus on a far larger area of the Indian Ocean floor, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday. The international search effort for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board, has so far failed to turn up any trace of wreckage from the plane. Given the amount of time that has elapsed, Abbott said that efforts would now shift away from the visual searches conducted by planes and ships and towards underwater equipment capable of scouring the ocean floor with sophisticated sensors. Reuters/Richard Polden

The book authored by two New Zealanders on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370, has set stage for a new bout of sparring between the authors and the Malaysia Airlines. The controversial book "Goodnight Malaysian 370: The Truth Behind the Loss of Flight 370" discussed the inferences of authors Ewan Wilson and Geoff Taylor, on what could have happened to the doomed flight. Last week, the Malaysia Airlines lambasted the writers for penning a book, seeking to make profit from the tragedy, reported NZ Herald.

Shambolic Handling

In the book, the duo had held the pilot of the missing plane, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, responsible for the flight's disappearance and called it a murder-suicide by the pilot. The book said the pilot might have depressurized the cabin and locked out the co-pilot leaving the passengers with limited oxygen supply, letting them die. The book had also called for tighter scrutiny of pilot stress levels and openness about their mental health.

In their rejoinder, the authors said, the assertions of "Malaysia Airlines' that the writers lacked evidence to back up their conclusions looked trivial when the Airlines itself has evidence of whatsoever happened to MH370, even after seven months. He called it self-serving.

Mr Wilson rejected Malaysia Airlines' claim that the authors were seeking to cash in on suffering as the Airlines itself has not compensated to a number of families for the tragic death of their loved ones. The author defended the finding by noting that the possibilities of slow depressurisation and hijacking were found unlikely and it was "impossible" that the plane could have been shot down or caught fire, suffered electrical or catastrophic structural failure, or rapid depressurisation. The book arrived at the conclusions on the basis of several issues including the route MH370 took before disappearing. The author said murder-suicide was tragic and unthinkable but "sadly we think this is what happened."

Taylor said they have been critical of the actions of many agencies including the air traffic controllers on duty that night. The Malaysian military also failed to act on the primary radar sightings on the night and was inactive for many days after. The Malaysian Government stood exposed for its shambolic handling of the tragedy.

Malaysia Reaction

Last week, in a strong reaction, the Malaysia Airlines castigated the authors for writing baseless things with no evidence to support the claims they have made. They called the book a product of conjecture with an eye on profit. The Airlines also stressed that the duo were not involved in the investigation of MH370, yet they chose to stray into the fields of science and medicine, as self styled "experts" offering analyses beyond the domains of their knowledge and abilities. The Malaysia Airlines rubbished the authors and publishers asking them to be ashamed for the maligned publicity stunt, seeking to cash in on the sufferings of the families and trampling upon the dignity of all those on-board.