Malaysian Airline Boeing_777

A preliminary report by the Dutch Safety Board into the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed over eastern Ukraine, has stated the aircraft broke-up in mid-air after being hit by a large number of high-energy objects, without mentioning any missile attack.

The passenger jet, which was on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, was reported to have been hit by a ground-to-air missile, leaving nearly 300 dead.

The latest report said: "There are no indications that the MH17 crash was caused by a technical fault or by actions of the crew.

"The cockpit voice recorder, the flight data recorder and data from air traffic control all suggest that flight MH17 proceeded as normal until 13:20:03 (UTC), after which it ended abruptly.

"The flight data recorder registered no aircraft system warnings, and aircraft engine parameters were consistent with normal operation during the flight."

"There are no indications that the MH17 crash was caused by a technical fault or by actions of the crew."

The investigation was carried out in collaboration with experts from Malaysia, Ukraine, Russia, the UK, the US and Australia and led by the Dutch Safety Board.

Experts considered photographs of the black box flight data recorders, air traffic control information and satellite images from the crash site to compile the preliminary report.

The Dutch Safety Board chairman Tjibbe Joustra said: "The initial results of the investigation point towards an external cause of the MH17 crash.

"More research will be necessary to determine the cause with greater precision."

Dutch Safety Board said that the investigation team is working on the final report, which is expected to be published within one year of the date of the crash.

Image: A file photo of Malaysian Airlines’ Boeing 777 aircraft. Photo: courtesy of Alan Wilson.

Defence Technology