Viewers are struggling to sleep after watching Netflix’s new documentary about the disappearance of flight MH370.
The Malaysian Airlines flight went missing somewhere above the Indian Ocean in March 2014, leading to an extensive search by authorities for the missing plane and 239 souls onboard after.
Although the mystery remains unsolved, audiences were shocked when a serious safety flaw was dubbed completely ‘normal’ in the three-part series, MH370: The Plane That Disappeared.
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The Netflix show has focused on several theories, including an accidental crash, the pilot purposefully downing the Boeing 777, and even the theory that the plane was shot down as part of a government conspiracy.
Aviation journalist Jeff Wise also speculated that the plane could have been hijacked by Russian spies (yes, really!) who accessed the aircraft’s electronics bay while onboard.
The electronics bay panel, which also controls the plane’s satellite communications, was located in the first-class area and was easily accessible via an unlocked hatch - a feature common on many Boeing 777 planes.
Wise added that it would have been easy for hijackers to cut off the oxygen systems through the electronics bay and then jam the signal so the plane couldn’t be tracked.
The unnerving thing about the electronics bay panel is that it's hidden by nothing more than a piece of carpet that can be easily lifted and accessed by anyone on board - creating a pretty alarming safety flaw.
Though the theory may make you want to take out your tin-foil hat, this common safety flaw in planes has left many viewers unable to sleep at night.
In fact, many have taken to Twitter to share their shock about the safety issue.
One concerned viewer wrote a lengthy tweet, saying: “Now I cannot sleep since I’ve been watching MH370 on Netflix and it is both very interesting and utterly terrifying in equal measures.”
They continued: “My mind is utterly blown that the electronics hatch of a 777 was left unlocked and under a bit of carpet and this was ‘normal’.”
Many agreed, with another adding: “My favorite part of the #MH370 documentary was when they told us exactly where that hatch to the electronics bay is in the airplane so now I have a new thing to be paranoid about when I fly!”
However, others questioned why the area wasn’t more secure and why this had been overlooked by security personnel.
One tweet read: “Ok, learning about the E&E hatch for the first time and why is it not guarded or locked if it’s so important? #MH370”
Whilst the documentary has pointed out this important security flaw, the Netflix series has come under scrutiny for its focus on conspiracy theories.
An enraged viewer even criticised Netflix in an angry tweet: “I’m watching the MH370 docu-series on Netflix and this Jeff Wise guy has to be one of the most bats**t and ridiculous conspiracy theorists I’ve ever seen.
"Netflix dropped the ball big time on this.”
It’s even more problematic given that the documentary also features several interviews with the victims’ families, as well as distressing footage of many of them crying following the realisation of their relatives' fate.
Topics: Weird, Netflix, TV and Film
Katherine Sidnell