If that would have been the case then I suspect that the remains of the aircraft would have been located near the area of their final transmission by now.

why go through all this drama; turning off communications, flying around SEAsia, somehow shutting up the passesngers once they realize something's up, if you are planning to kill yourself. Just point the plane at the ocean.

there would have been no reason to turn off the transponder.

The Malaysian government wants to besmirch the pilot because of political interests. There was discussion of this on Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow last night. I feel very sorry for the families who are being tortured by not knowing what happened. There was a another post here with a link to Wired magazine with an article written by a pilot. Pilots fight to the very end for their planes. The suicide scenario is extraordinarily unusual for pilots.

Mary Schiavo stated this last week, as well. It is a horrid tragedy and mechanical failure. The Malaysian government is trying to save face by blaming the pilots, but everything leads to a failure in maintenance or allowing improper cargo which would be a failure of management. The batteries should not have been on the plane. The Wired article talked about the potential for a tire fire, as well.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024684103

Link to Wired from the DU post above.

the captain is a (sort-of) distant relative of a local political leader who was sentenced prison on "sodomy" charges (the captain was supposedly present in the courtroom, and I think the sodomy charges may have been trumped-up we-don't-like-you-gay-folks charges)...

and there is another unconfirmed report that the captain's wife left him not long before the trip...

Still doesn't add up, though

That's why all these stupid theories are floating about.