It is a question international television and print investigative reporter Stephen Davis has been pursuing since the early days of the first Gulf War.
The Dunedin journalist has written several books about British Airways flight 149, which departed London Heathrow on August 1, 1990, for Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia.
But when the Boeing 747 made a routine stop in Kuwait to refuel, it was surrounded by Iraqi tanks, and the 385 passengers and crew on board were taken hostage.
They suffered brutal treatment, including violent attacks, sexual assaults, torture, starvation and mock executions for about four months.
Now, one of his books, The Secret History of Flight 149, has been used as the basis for a new Sky documentary, titled Flight 149 Hostage of War, and is about to be premiered at the SxSW Festival in Austin, Texas, in March.
It was made by Drum Studios and award-winning film-maker Jenny Ash — director of documentaries about Osama Bin Laden and the Nuremberg Trials.
Mr Davis’ book draws on witness accounts from the hostages, and uncovers lies and cover-ups orchestrated by the British Secret Service and the CIA.
Questions remain about why the flight proceeded with plans to refuel in Kuwait, despite all other flights being rerouted and the British and United States governments having clear intelligence that Iraq was about to invade Kuwait.
It is believed a secret, unaccountable organisation authorised by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher carried out a "deniable" intelligence operation to sneak a group of intelligence officers into Kuwait aboard the flight.
The plane was effectively a Trojan Horse.
Mr Davis said the incident had horrific and traumatic consequences for the passengers, and it had been covered up by successive British governments since.
He said he first heard about the incident while working at the Independent On Sunday in London.
At the time, the government said the plane landed before the invasion started.
"But I had a call from a foreign office contact saying that what they were saying about it wasn't true. So I started investigating it, then and there.
"The government's spin was that it was just a mistake, and the passengers were all OK, having a mini-holiday, sipping cocktails by the pool at luxury hotels — which was true for about two days, until the Iraqis started to mistreat them.
"All the passengers were taken hostage and used as human shields."
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussain sent them to installations he thought the allies would bomb, including weapons of mass destruction manufacturing installations.
In November 2021, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed the government of the time had misled British Airways and the public about a prior warning that was not passed on to the airline.
And on July 1, 2024, passengers and crew from the flight announced they were going to sue the government and British Airways on the grounds that warnings that had been received were not acted upon.
Mr Davis said he was working with a team of lawyers to help those on board get justice and recognition for their trauma.
"They have never got justice or an apology or anything like that.
"A lot of these people's lives were ruined.
"We're talking about life-long problems."
He said legal papers had been filed and the British government and British Airways now had to file a defence next month.
He hoped the documentary would prompt the British government to publicly recognise what happened and "do the right thing".
"Sometimes, as you know, governments won't do the right thing until they're put under public pressure.
"I'm really hoping that it works — that it moves people."
