Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Pilots PHOTOS: Who Were The Men At The Controls Of Missing Plane? [VIDEO]
The fruitless search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is about to enter its second week, and now new information about the plane's pilots is coming to light.
Last Saturday, Flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. local time with Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and 1st Officer Fariq Ab Hamid at the controls. At 2:40 a.m. local time the Subang air traffic control lost contact with the plane some time after the crew's final transmission.
"All right, good night," was the last words air traffic controllers heard from the Boeing 777 cockpit, although CNN claims it is unknown which pilot actually said them.
Zaharie is a 53-year-old pilot with 18,365 flying hours under his belt. A Malaysian citizen, CTV reports that Zaharie has been working for Malaysia Airlines since 1981.
Fariq is a 27-year-old first mate with 2,763 hours of flight experience, according to CBS. Also a native of Malaysia, Fariq only recently transitioned to the Boeing 777 airline.
The two pilots came under the suspicion of the public when it was reported that two of Flight MH370's communication systems were shut down separately, according to ABC. While this could have been caused by a cascading electrical failure, it could have also been done by someone in the cockpit.
Fariq has also become the center of a story from former Malaysia Airlines passenger Jonti Roos that claims the young pilot invited Roos and a friend into the cockpit during a 2011 flight from Phuket, Thailand to Kuala Lumpur.
However, ABC reports that neither pilot has engaged in any recent red flag behavior and the government is continuing to investigate from all angles.
"The investigation into the pilots is ongoing," said Malaysia's Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
Click the video below to find out more about Flight MH370.
