SEPANG, Malaysia
A Malaysian daily claimed Monday that the missing Boeing 777-200ER airliner dropped to 5,000 feet to avoid radar detection.
One of Malaysia's oldest newspapers, the New Straits Times, reported that investigators were considering the possibility that the pilots may have used a technique called "terrain masking," a technique used by military pilots to reach their targets without being spotted.
"It's possible that the aircraft had hugged the terrain in some areas that are mountainous to avoid radar detection," the daily quoted an officer in the investigation team as saying.
The officer also said the person who had control of the aircraft must have had advanced knowledge of navigation, the report said.
It also suggested that the plane's controller might have been applying "terrain masking" during most of the eight hours it was missing from the radar coverage.
It is possible the airliner did not raise the suspicion of military radars of the countries it overflew because it might have appeared to be a regular commercial aircraft, the report said.
Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport and then losing radio contact with Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control.
The Beijing-bound flight was carrying 239 passengers, including 12-flight crew, from 14 different countries.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
