Malaysia confirms MH370 pilot plotted flight over Indian Ocean on flight simulator

Zaharie Ahmad Shah the pilot of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared over the South China Sea 08 March 2014 pictured on CCTV passing through airport security at Kuala Lumpur airport shortl

Malaysian officials have finally admitted that the MH370 pilot plotted a path over the Indian Ocean, the alleged crash site, on a home flight simulator.

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the pilot of the missing aircraft, plotted the flight path into the Indian Ocean but it was just one of the thousands of routes on his home simulator, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said.

"There is still no evidence to confirm that Captain Zaharie deliberately flew the plane into the Indian Ocean," he told reporters at his office in the federal government centre of Putrajaya.

Zaharie Ahmad Shah the pilot of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared over the South China Sea 08 March 2014 pictured on CCTV passing through airport security at Kuala Lumpur airport shortl

"Just based on this, we cannot confirm he did it," he added.

Some experts had suggested the disappearance of the Beijing-bound flight was a case of pilot murder-suicide.

The speculation was triggered by a US magazine report last month that an FBI analysis of data found in the flight simulator owned by the plane's captain showed he conducted a simulated flight to the Indian Ocean a few weeks before the plane vanished along a similar route.

Malaysian police chief Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar earlier dismissed the pilot murder-suicide theory as "not true".

Zaharie was the subject of intense media speculation when MH370 first vanished, with reports scrutinising everything from his political beliefs to his mental health for clues as to what could have happened.

MH370 pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah has come under global scrutiny for his alleged role in the flight's disappearance. Photo / Facebook

The investigation on the disappearance is continuing, he said, adding that only the recovery of the missing plane's black box could provide answers as to what happened to the aircraft.

Pieces of debris from MH370 have been discovered in South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius and Reunion Island, but so far searchers have yet to find the main wreckage.

Australia, Malaysia and China, where most of the passengers were from, have agreed that when the current search area is fully explored, expected around December, they will pull the plug unless "credible new information" emerges.

The Malaysia Airlines jet was carrying 239 passengers and crew when it disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.