Files Deleted from Flight Simulator of Missing Malaysian Jet

Authorities are trying to restore files deleted from the home flight simulator of the pilot aboard the missing Malaysian plane, Malaysia's defense minister said Wednesday.

At a news briefing that began after Chinese protesters burst in and demanded information from the Malaysian government, Hishammuddin Hussein said that the pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, is considered innocent until proven guilty, and that members of his family are cooperating in the investigation. Files containing records of simulations carried out on the program were deleted 3 February, according to Malaysian officials.

Deleting files does not necessarily represent anything unusual, but investigators want to check for any signs of unusual flight paths that could help explain where the missing plane went, the Fox news reports.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with 239 people aboard disappeared on 8 March on a night flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Authorities have not ruled out any possible explanations, but have said the evidence so far suggests the flight was deliberately turned back across Malaysia to the Strait of Malacca.

Searches so far have involved twenty-six countries, but still remain fruitless. Operations are extended to a huge territory, with Australian vessels searching a 600 000 square kilometer area in the southern Indian Ocean.