American political commentator Rush Limbaugh , according to CNN , speculated that the aircraft may have been shot down . Supporters of this theory have noted that civilian aircraft have been shot down by military forces in the past , with Iran Air Flight 655 by the United States in 1988 and KAL 007 by the Soviet Union in 1983 being two frequently cited examples . On 19 March 2014 , news agency reporter Scott Mayerowitz of Associated Press described " Accidental Shootdown " as one of seven " leading , plausible theories " , but added that there was " no evidence that Flight 370 was brought down by a government entity " . A Malaysian defence official , Ackbal bin Haji Abdul Samad , said it was " highly not possible " that his country 's air force had shot down the plane . According to '' The Financial Express '' , the Malaysian Air Force detected the plane on radar while it was in flight , but took no action because it was believed to be a " friendly " aircraft
KAL 007
Korean Air Lines Flight 007
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 unofficial disappearance theories