Murder-suicide plot: Former PM Tony Abbott reveals it became clear what took down MH370 within one week

Tony Abbott has shed light on the high level discussions that took place when a Malaysia Airlines aircraft vanished.

Within about one week of the disappearance of doomed flight MH370, then Prime Minister Tony Abbott says it became clear that 238 passengers and crew had fallen victim to a murder-suicide plot.

Almost 10 years ago on March 8, MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur destined for Beijing while carrying 12 crew and 227 passengers, including six Australians.

But the flight carrying passengers from 14 different countries never made it to China.

Chinese relatives of a missing passenger on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 weeps outside the main gate of the Lama Temple on March 8, 2015 in Beijing, China. Picture: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Theories raised by experts in the Sky News documentary MH370: 10 Years On indicate the disappearance of the Boeing 777 was not a tragic accident, but rather a deliberate drowning orchestrated by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah.

Within 40 minutes of what was supposed to be a routine flight, MH370 crossed from Malaysia to Vietnamese airspace.

It was at that moment that the passenger plane dropped from civilian radars and the now infamous last words of captain Zaharie were heard.

“Good night, Malaysia 370.”

Military radars later indicated that the aircraft did not disappear in the South China Sea like initially thought, but rather made a sharp left turn back across the Malaysian Peninsula and turned right up the Malacca Strait, while skirting international boundaries.

Mr Abbott said it was clear to him that “someone had been in charge of that aircraft” and the disappearance of the passenger plane was not an accident.

“Aircraft do not do that kind of thing that that aircraft did, unless someone is at the controls,” he said.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (C) addresses the media together with former Defence Force Chief Angus Houston (L) and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss (R) at RAAF base Pearce on March 31, 2014 in Perth, Australia. Picture: Paul Kane-Pool/Getty Images

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (R) bids farewell to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak after his visit to Perth during the search of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 at Perth International airport on April 3, 2014 in Perth, Australia. Picture: AAP Image/Getty Pool, Paul Kane

Mr Abbott said it become clear within “a matter of a week or so” that the disappearance of the aircraft was the doing of the Malaysian Airlines pilot.

“My very clear understanding from the very top level of the Malaysian government is that from very early on, they thought it was murder-suicide by the pilot,” he said.

“I’m not going to say who said what to whom but let me reiterate — I want to be absolutely crystal clear — it was understood at the highest levels, that this was almost certainly murder-suicide by the pilot, mass murder-suicide by the pilot.”

At the time, Former Chief of Defence Sir Angus Houston was brought in to help co-ordinate the search within waters under off the Western Australia borders.

But Sir Houston said neither the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak or Tony Abbott revealed their belief that the plane’s disappearance was the result of a mass murder-suicide plot.

In 2020, Jeanette Maguire, the sister of missing passenger Cathy Lawton, told host Peter Stefanovic that she could not blame the pilot, despite so many theories indicating he was at fault.

Sisters of Cathy Lawton, Jeanette Maguire and Eileen Docherty, in the Sky News documentary.

“I can’t lay blame until I know the truth,” she said.

“Even though a lot of evidence supports the theory that it was the pilot, I can’t do it.

Ten years on, Ms Maguire said she still held the same view.

“I still can’t blame someone unless I’ve got that evidence. It’s just not in my DNA,” she said.

“Just knowing what we’ve gone through, his family will be going through the same thing, and on top of that, they’re having to live with blame.”

To see the full show MH370: Ten Years you can stream at SkyNews.com.au or download the Sky News Australia app