Mystery of
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 surfaces pain of 1977 tragedy
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) --
The families of those on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 have been waiting
for answers for 20 days. The loved ones of those who were passengers on
Malaysia Airlines 653 have been waiting for 37 years.Flight 653 was hijacked in 1977 en
route from the northern Malaysian city of Penang to Kuala Lumpur, the country's
capital. The airliner -- a Boeing 737-200 -- crashed into a mangrove swamp as
it descended, killing all 100 on board. Before Flight 370, it was the deadliest
incident in Malaysian aviation history.
The hijacker or hijackers of MH653
have never been identified, despite cockpit voice recordings that captured
everything from the breach of the cockpit, to the sound of gunshots that killed
both pilots. According to the Malaysian Civil Aviation Department's report into
the crash, the aircraft was hijacked as it approached Kuala Lumpur.Amid confusion over whether it was
to land there or not, it proceeded towards neighboring Singapore. As it
descended, the crew was shot and the aircraft "carried out some unusual
pitch up and pitch down terminal maneuvers before finally impacting into swampy
ground at some 450 knots." The report concluded that the crash was caused
by the crew being fatally incapacitated, leaving the aircraft
"professionally uncontrolled.However, some eye witnesses at the time
reported seeing the aircraft in flames before it hit the ground, while others
reported hearing an explosion before impact -- though investigators could not
find evidence to support these reports.
Defining event
For other family members of MH653
victims reached by CNN, the recent disappearance of MH370 brought back memories
of that traumatic time. Over the years, they have learned to cope with their
grief, but the 1977 crash will always be a defining event in their lives.
"You have to carry that with
you all the time," said Tom Sherrington, whose father, Richard, was also
on MH653. He believes talking openly about their memories of his father, whom
he described as a "fun guy" and "big adventurer," helped
his family to cope.He also said visits to the memorial, built near the crash
site in the Malaysian coastal town of Tanjung Kupang, have given his family a
tangible place to reflect on their loss.As for the families of those on board
MH370, Sherrington said they should focus on remembering their loved ones and
try not to fixate on assigning blame.
"The one thing I would say is
not for them to get too obsessed with the detail and the recriminations and all
that," he said. Sherrington added that he hopes the families will stick
together and find comfort in each other.
'You can never forget the date'Both
Parr and Sherrington warn that everyone processes their grief in different ways
and there is no shortcut.It gets a little easier over time but you can never
forget the date," Parr said."You will forever think you see that
person out and about, a glance in the car's rearview mirror or crossing the
road. It could be anywhere, a voice that sounds like him will have you spinning
around only to find it's someone else."
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