REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Malaysian Airline flight MH-370 might have exploded at an altitude of over 10 kilometers, Indonesian aviation expert BJ Habibie said.

"I believe that the missing airplane will not be found as it had exploded into pieces at an altitude of over 10 kilometers," he said on Thursday.

The explosion was likely caused by a leakage of fuel on the wing, he stated. However, he added the main cause of the explosion could be learned from the black box.

"I cannot say whether it was caused by leakage on its wing or engine," he said.

Habibie believed that the pilot had recorded the malfunction in the aircraft. In a short time, the pilot had to find the nearby airport to land the plane, Habibie who also Indonesian third president, said.

"But when the pilot looked at the monitor screen it exploded. It might be because of that, the pilot had no chance to contact (the air traffic controller) and to send a SOS," he said. 

The flight MH370 was carrying 239 people on board, including seven Indonesians, when it lost contact with the Subang Air Traffic Control early on Saturday morning, March 8. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft left Kuala Lumpur for Beijing at 12.21 a.m.

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