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Crash 2 Operational facts and background 7 Recovery of the wreckage 10 Reconstruction 12 MH17 Investigation into flight routes 14 About the investigation 19 About the Dutch Safety Board 20 Credits 20 Introduction The crash of flight MH17 on 17 July 2014 shocked the world and caused hundreds of families much grief. In the first few days after the crash the first expla­ nations for the cause of the crash began to appear. The question was also raised as to why the aircraft flew over the conflict zone in the eastern part of Ukraine. On board flight MH17 there were 298 occupants, of which 193 passengers with the Dutch nationality. On Friday 18 July 2014, the Dutch Safety Board received a formal MH17 Crash notification from Ukraine that flight MH17 had crashed and that an investigation into the causes of the crash was already underway. The same Investigation into the Main conclusions Passenger information day, the Board sent three investigators crash of flight MH17 Causes of the crash - The crash A second, independent who arrived in Kyiv in the evening. The Dutch Safety Board has of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing investigation was conducted into extensively investigated the 777-200 was caused by the the gathering and verification of A few days later, the investigation was delegated to the Dutch Safety Board. crash of flight MH17. The first detonation of a model 9N314M passenger information and The Dutch Safety Board was determined part of the investigation focused warhead, fitted to a 9M38-series informing the relatives of the to answer the questions of how this on the causes of the crash. missile that was fired from a Buk Dutch victims of the crash of accident could have happened and what The Board has aimed at surface-to-air missile system. flight MH17. This investigation caused it on the basis of factual informa­ providing an accurate picture of has been published in a separate tion. Such an investigation requires the course of flight MH17 on None of the 298 occupants report and corresponding time, but I hope that our conclusions 17 July 2014 and the causes of survived the crash. brochure. answer questions that have preoccupied the crash. The second part of the the relatives since 17 July 2014. investigation focused on the Flight routes - None of the Tjibbe Joustra, chairman questions of why the aircraft was parties involved adequately Dutch Safety Board flying over the eastern part of identified the risks to civil aviation Ukraine and how, in general brought about by the armed terms, flight routes over conflict conflict in the eastern part of zones are determined. Ukraine. Crash Airspace restrictions From mid­March 2014, parts of the airspace over the eastern Air traffic: part of Ukraine were regularly route and closed for brief periods of time or their use was restricted. altitude Civil air traffic was not permitted In order to conduct air traffic to fly there, but military aircraft in an orderly, safe and were. The restrictions were efficient fashion, a system of related to the activities of the airways is used. On the basis Ukrainian Air Force. This subject of these airways, the is discussed in more detail in operator sets out a route the chapter dedicated to flight and makes a flight plan routes (see page 14). containing, among other things, information on Airspace restrictions are navigation, times and announced in a so­called altitudes. This flight plan is Notice to Airmen (NOTAM, see submitted to the air traffic box on page 16). On 17 July control prior to the flight. 2014, various NOTAMs were in Flight MH17 on force with regard to different In the air, aeroplanes are 17 July 2014 parts of the airspace over the separated by flying in At 12.31 Dutch time (10.31 UTC), On the day in question the eastern part of Ukraine, four of different headings and at flight MH17 departed from Gate aeroplane headed southeast, in them relevant to flight MH17. different altitudes. These G3 at Amsterdam Airport the direction of Germany. After Fo example, since 14 July 2014, altitudes are expressed in Schiphol heading for Kuala crossing the German and Polish civil aviation was not permitted flight levels (FL). Lumpur International Airport in border, the aero plane entered to fly below FL320 (circa For example, an aeroplane Malaysia. On board the aeroplane Ukrainian airspace. The 9,7 kilometres). On 17 July, flight can be flying at FL330, were 298 people, 283 of which aeroplane would then have MH17 was in an authorised area, which represents a flight were passengers. The crew continued its flight, flying over flying at an authorised altitude of altitude of 33,000 feet consisted of four pilots and Russia and Asia, to its final FL330 (circa 10.1 kilometres). (10.1 kilometres). eleven cabin crew members. destination of Kuala Lumpur. Time zones The aviation sector uses a universal time zone called Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). During the summer, the local time in the Netherlands is two hours ahead of universal time (UTC+2), while in Ukraine it is three hours ahead (UTC+3). To avoid any confusion, times are specified in universal time (UTC), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The planned route of flight MH17 on July 17, 2014. 2 ­ Dutch Safety Board Time Callsign Means Spoken text Translation (UTC) Last contact 13.19:49 DNP (S4) RAD Malaysian one seven, due traffic proceed direct to point ROMEO At around 13.19, the aircraft was NOVEMBER DELTA above the eastern part of Ukraine, near the border with 13.19:56 MH17 RAD ROMEO NOVEMBER DELTA, Malaysian Russia. At this point, the one seven aeroplane received permission to fly directly to the Russian 13.20:00 DNP (S4) RAD Malaysian one seven, and after point ROMEO NOVEMBER DELTA expect Federation. The crew confirmed direct to TIKNA this notification at 13.19:56. Up until that moment the flight had 13.21:10 DNP (S4) RAD Malaysian one seven, how do you read progressed as normal. A few me? seconds later, air traffic control gave permission for the next DNP (S4) RAD Malaysian one seven, Dnipro Radar part of the route. This permission 13.21:36 DNP (S4) RAD Malaysian one seven, Dnipro Radar was not confirmed, however, and no more signals were received 13.22:02 DNP (S4) RAD Malaysian one seven, Dnipro Radar from the crew of flight MH17. 13.22:05 RST TEL Слушаю, Ростов Listening you, its Rostov DNP (S4) TEL Ростов, а вы малазийца семнадцатого Rostov, do you observe the Malaysian наблюдаете по...по ответу? seventeen by… by the transponder? Air traffic RST TEL Да нет. Что то начала разваливаться No. It seems that its mark has started to control метка его. break Virtually every country in the world has its own air traffic DNP (S4) TEL Ну у нас тоже. И на вызовы не Well, we have the same. And it’s not control service provider отвечает responding for our calls too controlling the air traffic above its territory. RST TEL И не отвечает на вьізовьі, да? He is not responding to the calls, is he? Throughout a flight, the cockpit crew maintain DNP (S4) TEL Да. И не видим пока его. То-есть ему No. And we don’t see it yet. So we gave him a contact with the air traffic дали отворот, он подтвердил и ... turn, he confirmed and… control of the country over which the aircraft is flying at RST TEL И все, да? And that was all, yes? that time. This contact involves, among other things, DNP (S4) TEL Да и исчез. Yes, and it disappeared coordinating the flight route and altitude, and making RST TEL Сейчас, подожди, я попрошу. Wait now, I’ll ask requests to deviate from the original route (for practical DNP (S4) TEL В пассиве там ничего у вас не In primary don’t you observe anything either? reasons). The air traffic наблюдается? control services of bordering RST TEL No, no, no, nothing. We see nothing. areas are also in contact with Не не не ничего. Ничего не видим. each other to coordinate the handover of flights and to DNP (S4) TEL Ну хорошо, сейчас мы зовем их сюда. Ok then, we are calling them here now discuss any special circumstances. DNP (S4) RAD Malaysian one seven, Dnipro Radar Transcript (extract) of the conversation between flight MH17 and air traffic control services and between air traffic controllers. MH17 Crash ­ 3 Impact At 13.20:03 the aircraft was penetrated by hundreds of high­ energy objects that originated from a warhead, model 9N314M, fired from a Buk surface­to­air missile system. This has been established on the basis of, among other things, the altitude at which the aircraft was hit, the damage pattern on the wreckage and the particles found in the wreckage and in the bodies of three of the crew Combination sketch of the calculated areas. The Russian Federation, at the Dutch Safety Board’s request, calculated a members. A number of the possible launch area without confirming the use of a 9N314M warhead, a 9M38-series missile or a Buk surface-to-air missile particles showed traces of system. (Source: Dutch Safety Board) aluminium and glass. This is material originating from the aeroplane that melted when it These matched the paint The investigation revealed that number of fragments from the was hit and thus was deposited samples from the missile parts the missile approached the warhead were found in their on the particles. A number of recovered from the wreckage aircraft almost head­on, in the bodies.

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