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Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

9M-MRD, the Boeing 777-200ER involved in the incident, seen at Perth Airport in August 2010
Incident
Date	17 July 2014 (2014-07-17)
Summary	Under investigation. Fired at with surface-to-air missile.
Site	Near Hrabove, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine 48°8′6″N 38°30′11″E / 48.13500°N 38.50306°E / 48.13500; 38.50306
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 777-200ER
Operator	Malaysia Airlines
Registration	9M-MRD
Flight origin	Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Destination	Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Passengers	280
Crew	15

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17/MAS17), was a scheduled international passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. The 282-seat Boeing 777-200ER crashed near Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, approximately 40 km (25 mi) from the Ukrainian border with Russia, on 17 July 2014, carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew members. The crash occurred in the conflict zone of the ongoing Donbass insurgency.

Ukrainian Interior Ministry advisor Anton Gerashchenko stated that the aircraft was shot down at an altitude of 10,000 m (33,000 ft) by a Buk surface-to-air missile. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called it an "act of terrorism." In response, pro-Russian separatist rebels accused the Ukrainian government of shooting down the plane. However, Ukrainian security services claimed to have intercepted two phone conversations in which pro-Russian separatists discuss having just shot down a civilian plane. U.S. intelligence officials said that an early intelligence assessment showed that a surface-to-air-missile had been fired at the plane, but could not confirm its origin.

With 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board, this was the most people involved in a Malaysia Airlines incident to date. This surpasses Flight 370, also a Boeing 777-200ER, which disappeared less than five months earlier with 227 passengers and 12 crew members.

Crash

The aircraft departed from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Gate G03 at 12:14 CEST (10:14 UTC).

Malaysia Airlines released a statement, saying "it received notification from Ukrainian ATC that it had lost contact with flight MH17 at 14.15 (UTC) at 30 km from Tamak waypoint, approximately 50 km from the Russia-Ukraine border."

The plane crashed near the village of Hrabove just north of Torez, a city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, as it was approaching the Russian border.

Flightradar24 reported that a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER (Flight SQ351) and an Air India Boeing 787-8 (Flight AI113) were each only about 25 kilometres away from the Malaysian airliner when it disappeared.

Photos from the site of the crash show scattered pieces of broken fuselage and engine parts, as well as bodies and passports. Some of the wreckage fell close to houses in Hrabove.

Timeline of flight

Passengers

Malaysia Airlines has confirmed that there were 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board MH17. There are assumed to be no survivors, though this has not been formally confirmed. Several Dutch travel agencies have confirmed that there were Dutch passengers on board MH17. ITV News reported that nine British nationals were on board, but the Foreign Office was unable to confirm the claim.

Aftermath

As a result of the incident, Lufthansa, Air France, Turkish Airlines, Transaero, Delta Air Lines, British Airways, Aeroflot, Air India, Jet Airways, and KLM began to avoid eastern Ukrainian airspace or Ukraine entirely. A NOTAM informed U.S. airlines not to fly in the Ukraine area, while UTair, Alitalia and Virgin Atlantic also announced they will reroute their flights. The United Kingdom's Department for Transport ordered flights already airborne to bypass south-eastern parts of Ukraine, including advising pilots around the world to plan routes that avoid the area.

Separatists have allegedly blocked rescue workers and police from entering the area, according to Ukraine, and have claimed that they have found the flight recorder of the airliner, which they said they would turn over to Russia.

Cause

The airspace above Donetsk Oblast was closed by Ukraine on 8 July 2014 except for aircraft in transit flying over 7,900 m (25,900 ft).

The incident was preceded by the loss of a Ukrainian military Su-25 "Frogfoot" close air support aircraft the previous day and a Ukrainian military An-26 "Curl" transport aircraft three days earlier. Ukrainian government officials accused the Russian military of downing the aircraft, but a spokesman for Russia's Defence Ministry rejected those accusations as absurd.

Ukrainian interior ministry official Anton Gerashchenko stated on Facebook that the airliner was "shot down with a surface-to-air missile by terrorists", referring to militants seeking to unite eastern Ukraine with Russia. Later the Ukrainian President issued a different statement saying that Ukrainian authorities "don't exclude" the possibility that the plane was so shot down. Later the Ukrainian government changed its statement about the plane being shot down to "not excluding" possibility that it was shot down. This was denied by the rebels, stating that they have no weapons capable of shooting down planes at the height the Malaysian airliner was flying.

A post on the VKontakte social networking service apparently from Igor Girkin, commander of the Donbass People's Militia, acknowledged shooting down an aircraft at approximately the same time in approximately this location, claiming it was a Ukrainian military An-26 transport plane, and linking to video of smoking wreckage of the 777. This post was deleted later in the day. According to Google Maps, Rassypnoye (where Girkin claims to have shot down the plane) is 6 km (3.7 miles) from Hrabove, where MH17 crashed. An Associated Press reporter on Thursday saw seven rebel-owned tanks parked at a filling station outside the eastern Ukrainian town of Snizhne, a few miles southeast of the crash site. In the town, he also observed a Buk missile system, which can fire missiles up to an altitude of 22,000 metres (72,000 feet). Vehicle-mounted 9K35 Strela-10 missiles were also filmed by Russian Lifenews team near Donetsk. On 29 June, NTV reported that separatists had access to a Buk missile system after taking control of a Ukrainian air defence base. On the same day, the Donetsk People's Republic claimed possession of such a system in a since-deleted tweet.

A defence expert later reported that to shoot down an aircraft at such a high altitude would have required a long-range surface-to-air missile possibly assisted by radar or by an air-to-air missile from another aircraft. The Buk surface-to-air missile system uses radar guidance.

A source from Russia's Agency Rosaviatsia said the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine had closed its airspace over eastern Ukraine because of what it called "anti-terrorist operation." However, shortly after the crash the International Air Transport Association wrote in a statement: "Based on the information currently available it is believed that the airspace that the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions." At the same time, a representative of the Donetsk People's Republic said that civil aviation planes could not fly over the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as traffic control and navigation equipment was damaged and that "dispatching support of all passenger flights is being conducted from Kiev. How this plane could be there - is not clear."

Security Service of Ukraine published an alleged wiretap of separatist commanders reporting shoot down of an passenger plane.

Aircraft

Flight 17 was operated with a Boeing 777-2H6ER, serial number 28411, registration 9M-MRD. The 84th Boeing 777 produced, it first flew on 17 July 1997 and was delivered new to Malaysia Airlines on 29 July 1997. The aircraft was powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines, and configured to carry 282 passengers.

The Boeing 777, introduced in 1995, is generally regarded by aviation experts as having a safety record that is one of the best of any commercial aircraft. Since its first commercial flight on 7 June 1995, there have been only four other serious accidents involving hull loss: British Airways Flight 38 in January 2008; a cockpit fire in a parked EgyptAir 777-200 at Cairo International Airport in 2011; and Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in July 2013, in which three people died. Another Malaysia Airlines 777, Flight 370 (registration 9M-MRO), went missing on 8 March 2014 and was still being searched for at the time of Flight 17's crash.

Reaction

Domestic

Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko claimed that the plane was brought down by a Buk ground-to-air missile, fired by separatists. Later, the Ukrainian government changed its statement about the plane being shot down to "not excluding" the possibility that it was shot down.

Involved parties

Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamzah Zainuddin said the next day in Malaysia that the foreign ministry would be working closely with the Russian and Ukraine governments in regards to the incident.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated "I am deeply shocked by the dramatic news regarding the crash of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over Ukrainian grounds". He further announced to interrupt his holiday to coordinate the Dutch response. Dutch government buildings will fly the flag half-mast on 18 July.

International

[[Australia[[n Department of Foreign Affairs said the incident was a huge tragedy and that any Australians who were concerned about family members' well being should try to contact them directly, it also said it was awaiting confirmation on the number of Australian passengers on board.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his deepest condolences to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, the Malaysian people and the relatives of the victims. His spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the allegations of Russian involvement were "stupidity" and added of the possibility of sanctions as a result of the incident by the United States: "The United States has recently been conducting a very non-constructive policy, and their actions are very unpredictable."

United States President Barack Obama said "The U.S. will offer any assistance we can to determine what happened and why. As a country our thoughts and prayers are with all the families of the passengers, wherever they call home."

The United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a statement that read it is "urgently working to establish what has happened". Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "shocked and saddened by the Malaysian air disaster". Britain has requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

See also

• Incidents and accidents involving a Boeing 777
• Iran Air Flight 655
• Korean Air Lines Flight 007

• List of aircraft accidents and incidents resulting in at least 50 fatalities

• Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
• Siberia Airlines Flight 1812
• Ukrainian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 shoot-down

Notes

1. MH is the IATA designator and MAS is the ICAO designator. The flight is also marketed as KLM Flight 4103 (KL4103/KLM4103) through a codeshare agreement.

References

1. "Missile fired at Malaysian plane: US intelligence". Cnbc.com. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
2. Malaysian airliner crashes in E. Ukraine near Russian border, over 280 people on board. RT. 17 July 2014.
3. Gruesome images of Malaysia MH17 plane crash in east Ukraine appear online (PHOTOS). RT. 17 July 2014.
4. ^ "Malaysia Airlines plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border – live". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 July 2014. Cite error: The named reference "telegraph" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
5. Hradecky, Simon (17 July 2014). "Crash: Malaysia B772 near Donetsk on Jul 17th 2014, disappeared from radar". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
6. de Carbonnel, Alissa (17 July 2014). "Malaysian passenger plane crashes in Ukraine near Russian border -Ifax". Reuters. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
7. ^ Zverev, Anton (17 July 2014). "Ukraine says rebels shoot down Malaysian airliner, 295 dead". Reuters. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
8. "Malaysia Airlines crash: President Poroshenko calls shooting down of Malaysian plane an 'act of terrorism'". The Daily Telegraph. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
11. Birnbaum, Michael; Branigin, William; Londoño, Ernesto (17 July 2014). "Malaysia Airlines plane crashes in eastern Ukraine; U.S. intelligence blames missile". Retrieved 17 July 2014.
12. Boykoff, Pamela; Moshin, Saima (31 March 2014). "Mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 surfaces pain of 1977 tragedy". CNN. Retrieved 17 July 2014. The airliner – a Boeing 737-200 – crashed into a mangrove swamp as it descended, killing all 100 on board. Before Flight 370, it was the deadliest incident in Malaysian aviation history.
13. Bossi, Sébastien (17 July 2014). "LIVE : Crash du MH17 de Malaysia Airlines". Ijsberg (in French). Retrieved 17 July 2014.
14. Walker, Shaun; Branigan, Tania; Luhn, Alec (17 July 2014). "Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashes in east Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
15. Alan Yuhas. "Malaysia Airlines plane MH17 'crashes in Ukraine' - live updates | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
16. "An Air India Plane was 25 km away when Flight MH 17 crashed". news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
17. Nelson, Sara C (17 July 2014). "Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 'Shot Down in Ukraine Near Russian Border'". The Huffington Post. United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
18. "Maleisisch passagiersvliegtuig in Oekraïne neergestort" (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 17 July 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
19. "Travel Advisory – Media Statement 1 : MH17 Incident". Malaysia Airlines. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
20. Walker, Shaun; Branigan, Tania (17 July 2014). "Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashes in east Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
21. "Dutch passengers aboard crashed Boeing 777". Curacao Chronicle. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014. Dutch travel Agency D-Reizen confirms that Dutch citizens were on board. Also, through ANWB Reizen, we learn that about fifteen or sixteen Dutch citizens were on board. It's about people who have booked at Fox Reizen and SNP, which falls under ANWB Reizen. Tour operator WTC.nl believes it's between twenty and thirty Dutch citizens who have booked through the site.
22. "MH17 'shot down' over Ukraine, '9 Britons dead'". The Scotsman. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
23. "Russia's Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines to avoid Ukraine airspace". 18 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
24. Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Russia's Transaero says it will avoid Ukrainian airspace". Trust.org. Retrieved 17 July 2014. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
25. Kim LaCapria. "Air France, Lufthansa To Avoid Ukraine Airspace After Malaysian Plane Crash [Update]". Inquisitr.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
26. "Ook KLM mijdt luchtruim boven rampgebied ("KLM also avoids airspace above area of disaster")". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
27. Alan Yuhas. "Malaysia Airlines plane MH17 crashes in Ukraine - live updates | World news". theguardian.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
28. ^ "Flights rerouted: Planes avoiding Ukraine airspace after Malaysia Airlines crash — RT News". Rt.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
29. "Separatyści blokują dostęp do szczątków samolotu. "Czarne skrzynki przekażemy MAK"". Gazeta.pl Wiadomości (in Polish). 17 July 2014.
30. "Госавиаслужба закрыла воздушное пространство в зоне АТО" (in Russian). "Блокнот" информационное агентство. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
31. ^ "Ukraine conflict: Russia accused of shooting down jet". BBC News. London: BBC. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014. Cite error: The named reference "bbc" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
32. "Russia Rejects 'Absurd' Accusation Over Downed Ukrainian Jet". RFE/RL. Prague: RFE/RL. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
33. ^ Malaysia Airlines plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border Telegraph online
34. Raf Sanchez, Harriet Alexander (17 July 2014). "Malaysia Airlines plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border - live". The Daily Telegraph.
35. "Ополченцы сообщили о сбитом Ан-26 на востоке Украины" (in Russian). 7 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014. On July 17 near the village of Rassypnoye over the Torez city in Donetsk region an An-26 transport plane of Ukrainian Air Force was taken down, said the militia. According to them, the plane crashed somewhere near the "Progress" mine, away from residential areas. According to one of the militias, at approximately 17:30 local time an An-26 flew over the city. It was hit by a rocket, there was an explosion and the plane went to the ground, leaving a black smoke. Debris fell from the sky
36. Yuhas, Alan (7 July 2014). "Malaysia Airlines plane MH17 crashes in Ukraine - live updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
37. PETER LEONARD Associated Press. "Ukraine: Air Force Jet Downed by Russian Missile - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
38. "Lifenews" footage from Donetsk separatist positions, from 0:24-0:28 a Buk vehicle visible with DNR markings, Lifenews (10 July 2014). "Батальон "Восток" провел разведку боем в районе аэропорта Донецка".
39. "Донецкие ополченцы обзавелись зенитно-ракетными комплексами "Бук"". NTV News (in Russian). NTV. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
40. Panda, Ankit (17 July 2014). "Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 Shot Down Over Donetsk, Ukraine". The Diplomat. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
41. Pearson, Michael (17 July 2014). "Did surface-to-air missile take down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17?". CNN.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
42. "Rosaviatsia: Ukraine closed airspace in east to commercial flights 3 days ago", ITAR-TASS, 17 July 2014, retrieved 17 July 2014
43. "Statement on MH17". IATA. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
44. "СБУ перехопила переговори терористів: І.Бєзлєр ("Бєс") доповідає своєму куратору полковнику ГРУ ГШ ЗС РФ В.Гераніну про щойно збитий бойовиками цивільний літак". Security Service of Ukraine. 17 July 2014.
45. Над Донецкой областью разбился пассажирский Boeing, 295 человек погибли, by Novaya Gazeta. According to transcript, "ополченец с позывным "Майор" рассказывает "Греку", что самолет сбили казаки с блокпоста Чернухинский." and "Игорь Безлер рассказывает своему "куратору" – полковнику главного разведывательного управления Генштаба Василию Геранину – о том, что самолет упал в районе Енакиево, а сбила его группа некого "Минера"."
46. ^ "Malaysia Airlines 9M-MRD (Boeing 777 – MSN 28411) | Airfleets aviation". Airfleets.net. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
47. "Malaysian passenger plane 'shot down' in Ukraine – Channel 4 News". Channel4.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
48. Malaysia Airlines plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border Telegraph Online
49. "Malaysia to Work with Russia, Ukrainian Governments on MH17". English.cri.cn. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
50. "Verklaring premier Rutte over crash MH17 | Binnenland" (in Dutch). Telegraaf.nl. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
51. "Vlaggen overheidsgebouwen halfstok na vliegramp". Nieuws.nl. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
52. "MH17 official statements". ABC News. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
53. "Соболезнования Премьер-министру Малайзии Наджибу Разаку". Президент России. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
54. ^ Sanchez, Raf (17 May 2014). "Malaysia Airlines plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border - live". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
55. Leonard, Peter. "Ukraine: 295 on Malaysia plane shot down over east". Associated Press. The Big Story. Retrieved 17 July 2014.

External links

• Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashes in Ukraine – live updates
• MH17 17 July 2014 on FlightAware
• Images:
  • Images and videos from New York Daily News
  • Images from Russia Today

• Current events from July 2014
• 2014 in Malaysia
• 2014 in the Netherlands
• 2014 in Ukraine
• 2014 insurgency in Donbass
• Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 777
• Airliner shootdown incidents
• Aviation accidents and incidents in 2014
• Aviation accidents and incidents in Ukraine
• Malaysia Airlines accidents and incidents