AN MH370 sleuth who has dedicated his life to tracking down the missing aeroplane has found a note washed up on a beach he claims was written by a passenger.
American adventurer Blaine Gibson has found more pieces of debris than any government searching for the doomed aircraft after becoming perplexed by its disappearance.
The amateur detective’s first major find was a triangular sheet of metal said to belong to the plane’s wing that bears the words “No step”.
Official investigators quickly established that the fragment almost certainly came from MH370.
He went on to locate at least a dozen other pieces – including empty backpacks and purses – that were likely parts of the jet’s remains after they washed up on beaches in Madagascar.
The discoveries backed explanations from experts studying the plane’s mysterious disappearance, who said it shattered on impact in the southern Indian Ocean.
Passengers included Chinese calligraphers, a couple on their way home to their young sons after a long-delayed honeymoon and a construction worker who hadn’t been home in a year.
But at 12.14am on March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines lost contact with MH370 close to Phuket island in the Strait of Malacca.
Before that, Malaysian authorities believe the last words heard from the plane, from either the pilot or co-pilot, was “Good night Malaysian three seven zero”.
Among one haul he allegedly found a baseball cap with a message in Malay written on the underside.
According to the Express, it read: “To whom it may concern. My dear friend, meet me at the guesthouse later.”
It is not clear who wrote the message and who it was intended for.
According to pilot turned writer William Langewiesche, Blaine started getting death threats after finding his piece of debris.
Mr Langewiesche wrote in the Atlantic Magazine: “One message said that either he would stop looking for debris or he would leave Madagascar in a coffin.
“He has been traumatised.”
The author met Blaine in Kuala Lumpur and said he seemed to be gripped by paranoia.
He said: “He largely avoids disclosing his location or travel plans, and for similar reasons avoids using email and rarely speaks over the telephone.
“He frequently swaps Sim cards. He believes he is sometimes followed and photographed.”
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur and was heading to Beijing with 239 people on board – but it never reached its destination.
