Who Is Zaharie Ahmad Shah? The Pilot Who May Have Crashed Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

One of the pilots from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah plotted a course to the southern Indian Ocean, CBS News reported Friday. The flight path was found on his simulator, something that Australian officials who are overseeing the search for the plane reported last month but Malaysian officials refused to confirm at the time.

Shah, 53, was from Penang, Malaysia, and joined the airline as a cadet pilot in 1981. After receiving his commercial pilot’s license, he went on to become a second officer in 1983. He quickly rose through the ranks in his career. By 1991, he was promoted to captain of the Boeing 737-400 and then became captain of airbus A330-300 in 1996.

Two years later, Zaharie Ahmad Shah became captain of Boeing 777-200. He then transitioned to a type rating instructor and type rating examiner in 2007.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told local journalist there is no evidence that the pilot deliberately flew the plane into the southern Indian Ocean. He said Shah’s simulator had “thousands” of destinations on it prior to the Flight 370. He said, "Until today, this theory is still under investigation. There is no evidence to prove that Captain Zaharie flew the plane into the southern Indian Ocean."

Lai went on to say that international experts and Australian officials agree that the most likely scenario was "uncontrolled ditching" of the plane rather than deliberate crashing.

Relatives of the passengers from the missing flight are livid over the alleged incompetence of the airline and dissatisfied with the investigation. One relative told reported he doesn’t believe any of the “nonsense” and thinks that the government is trying to cover up the truth.