Q. WHAT HAPPENED TO MH 017?

A. The issue: MH 017 (and codeshares), a Boeing 777-2H6ER (registration 9M-MRD, c/n 28411/84) departed Amsterdam 10:15 GMT 17 Jul 2014 to Kuala Lumpur; contact with the aircraft was lost whilst it was flying at 10,000 meters / 33,000 feet over eastern Ukraine (approximately 50 km / 31 mi west of the Ukraine - Russia border) at 14:15 GMT, with 283 passengers and 15 crew. The wreckage fell near the village of Grabovo, east of Donetsk and west of the Russian border, and fills an area with a 2 km radius.

While some Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) members are at the crash site; they have reported their movements and access have been hampered by armed men in uniforms without identifying patches, insigniae, etc. On this second day OSCE members state they do not have unhampered access; there is some confusion over who has been allowed in and under what conditions, and who has removed bodies to Donetsk and possibly Kharkiv. Whilst Donetsk area separatists have guaranteed access, there seems to be some dispute as to the various commandants and command structure.

"The usual flight route was earlier declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. International Air Transportation Association has stated that the airspace the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions." (Aviation Herald)

The prevalent theory is the aircraft was shot down in an accidental shootdown or a terrorist action by an air defence missile, possibly from a Buk ("Beech", as in tree) M1 / SA-11, NATO name "Gadfly", system - these portable, multiple missile radar-guided systems are operated by Russia and Ukraine, and at least one system has allegedly fallen into the hands of Ukrainian rebel / separatists. USA President Barack Obama has claimed the US has knowledge the missile was launched in Ukraine within the area controlled by separatists, as the launch was recorded by a US satellite; which forces are responsible for the launch is disputed. Some (Aviation Week) has stated the missile was spotted by US ballistic early warning Defense Support Program and Space-Based Infrared System satellites.

Ukraine accuses the separatists of the shootdown, the separatists accuse Ukrainian forces, either on their own or abetted by Russian Forces. At this time the issue is rife with speculation because of the lack of information and conflicting claims being made by various parties (notably the bellicose parties - Ukrainian government, Russian government and Ukrainian separatists; a lot of "reporting", spoofing, alteration of pages and sites, etc.) But there is much that is speculative or unknown

For example: "Videos circulating in the Internet and media claiming to show the stricken MH-17 coming down with a raging fire at the right hand wing are in fact videos of the shoot down of an Antonov AN-30 in Slavyansk on Jun 6th 2014." (Aviation Herald)

Q. HOW MANY SOULS WERE LOST?

A. 298 - 283 passengers including 3 infants, and 15 crew.

Nationalities of passengers and crew on MH17 (source: BBC - updated to 1630 Sat 19 Jul 2014)
Link to passenger list (Adobe Portable Document Format - PDF)

Q. WILL MH BE CHANGING THE FLIGHT NUMBER?

A. It has been announced that the flight number will be changing to MH 19 on 25 July.

Q. WHAT ABOUT THE AIRCRAFT

A. The affected Boeing 777-2H6ER aircraft (registration 9M-MRD, s/n cn 28411 / Line #84) had accumulated 75,322 flight hours in 11,434 flight cycles since delivery to MH 17 Jul 1997. Maintenance last undergone Jul 11th 2014. The Boeing 777 and Malaysia Airlines are considered to have good safety records. The aircraft in question is the Boeing 777-200ER (Extended Range), powered by two Rolls Royce Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines. The Boeing 777 series aircraft are operated by a Captain and First Officer; very longhaul flights may carry relief pilots as well. There is no flight engineer on this aircraft type.

In its history, the 777 aircraft type has been involved in four other hull-losses: (1) OZ214 due to pilot error at SFO; (2) BA38 experienced fuel starvation due to engine ice forming and blocking the fuel lines on approach at LHR, forcing a short landing (Fuel/Oil Heat Exchangers mere modified to prevent reoccurrence); (3) MS667 while parked at gate in CAI, fire in cockpit prior to door-close; (4) MH370, still lost at this time and few data are known as to its ultimate disposition. Another report relating to a fire incident involving a UA 777 at LHR is available here which involves the Main Equipment Centre.

This aircraft is, according to the link to a PDF seat chart provided by NewbyRunner, configured with 35 Business and 247 Economy seats for 282 seats in total; TGflyergirl reports on longhaul runs, "5HK are blocked for the tech crew".

Q. WHAT ARE THE "BLACK BOXES" (Flight Data and Cockpit Voice Recorders)

A. The "black box" consists of two bright orange (for easier finding) assemblies: the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder), which records the last two hours of cockpit sounds; the FDR (Flight Data Recorder) records certain flight data for a period of 25 hours (minima). The entire device is powered by a separate battery and it remains powered for nearly a month. It is generally located in the tail area of the aircraft for protection and can not be turned off with normal means.

The "black box" must be able to survive 3,400 Gs (3,400 times the force of gravity) of acceleration, and survive temperatures of 2,000 F / 1,093 C for one hour and pressures to 20,000 ft / 6,096 m of saltwater. The beacon signal is emitted once per second. Batteries power the "black boxes" for approximately thirty days.

It is unclear where the "black boxes" (Flight Data and Cockpit Voice Recorders) are, if they have been found, or whether anyone has control over them at this time; separatist forces have claimed they have "12 black boxes", "eight of twelve" black boxes and "the black boxes" (there are only two, the FDR and CVR, and they are orange), but more recently stated they do not have them at all. Russia's MAK (Interstate Aviation Committee) have stated ICAO should be handed the "black boxes" for investigation.

Q. WEREN'T THERE AIRSPACE ISSUES?

A. The airspace where MH 17 (and nearby SQ 351, a Boeing 777, and AI 113, a Boeing 787, flights) were flying within 15 miles / 25 km of MH 017 in air space that was not restricted. MH 017 was flying at FL 330 (33,000 ft / 10,000 m) and had requested clearance from Ukrainian air traffic control to FL 50, which was not granted. Eurocontrol, ICAO and IATA state the airspace MH 17 was flying in was deemed safe. (The area is now closed to traffic.)

"The usual flight route was earlier declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. International Air Transportation Association has stated that the airspace the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions." (Aviation Herald)

NOTAMS released 3 April 2014 are irrelevant to this incident; they related to flying over the Crimean peninsula.

NOTAMS - Notices to Airmen include:

Related NOTAMS:
A1508/14 - SEGMENTS OF ATS ROUTES CLOSED:
T242 NALEM MASOL M996 ABUGA GUKOL
G476 MASOL OLGIN W533 TOROS KUBIR
L32 NALEM KW P851 LS NESLO
A83 LS DIMAB L980 GANRA TAMAK
W538 GANRA FASAD W633 LUGAT MAKAK
L69 LAMIV GONED W644 DON GETBO
M70 BULIG TAMAK B493 PODOL FASAD
L984 BULIG FASAD W531 KOVIL PW
M136 MEBAM DON M995 OLGIN PENAK
L140 KOVIL FASAD.
FM FL320 UP TO UNL. 17 JUL 15:00 2014 UNTIL 17 AUG 23:59 2014 ESTIMATED. CREATED: 17 JUL 15:02 2014

A1507/14 - TEMPO RESTRICTED AREA INSTALLED WITHIN FIR DNIPROPETROVSK
BOUNDED BY COORDINATES :
495355N 0380155E 485213N 0372209E 480122N 0370253E
471352N 0365856E 465018N 0374325E 465900N 0382000E
470642N 0381324E THEN ALONG STATE BOUNDARY
UNTIL POINT 495355N 0380155E.
RESTRICTION NOT APPLIED FOR FLIGHTS OF STATE ACFT OF UKRAINE. FL320 - UNL, 17 JUL 15:00 2014 UNTIL 17 AUG 23:59 2014 ESTIMATED. CREATED: 17 JUL 14:56 2014

A1493/14 - SEGMENTS OF ATS ROUTES CLOSED:
T242 NALEM MASOL M996 ABUGA GUKOL
G476 MASOL OLGIN W533 TOROS KUBIR
L32 NALEM KW P851 LS NESLO
A83 LS DIMAB L980 GANRA TAMAK
W538 GANRA FASAD W633 LUGAT MAKAK
L69 LAMIV GONED W644 DON GETBO
M70 BULIG TAMAK B493 PODOL FASAD
L984 BULIG FASAD W531 KOVIL PW
M136 MEBAM DON M995 OLGIN PENAK
L140 KOVIL FASAD.
FM FL260 UP TO FL320. 14 JUL 18:00 2014 UNTIL 14 AUG 23:59 2014 ESTIMATED. CREATED: 14 JUL 15:58 2014

A1492/14 - TEMPO RESTRICTED AREA INSTALLED WITHIN FIR DNIPROPETROVSK
BOUNDED BY COORDINATES :
495355N 0380155E 485213N 0372209E 480122N 0370253E
471352N 0365856E 465018N 0374325E 465900N 0382000E
470642N 0381324E THEN ALONG STATE BOUNDARY
UNTIL POINT 495355N 0380155E.
RESTRICTION NOT APPLIED FOR FLIGHTS OF STATE ACFT OF UKRAINE. FL260 - FL320, 14 JUL 18:00 2014 UNTIL 14 AUG 23:59 2014 ESTIMATED. CREATED: 14 JUL 15:48 2014

BBC: "According to Flight radar24 (sic), which also monitors live flight paths, the airlines that most frequently flew over Donetsk in the last week were: Aeroflot (86 flights), Singapore Airlines (75), Ukraine International Airlines (62), Lufthansa (56), and Malaysia Airlines (48)."

Q. WHAT WAS CAPABLE AND SUSPECTED OF SHOOTING DOWN MH 017?

A. A SAM / Surface to Air Missile system is currently implicated (Buk M1 AKA SA-11, AKA NATO "Gadfly"). The USA states it has information the missile was launched from the confines of separatist-controlled territory in northwest Ukraine. Russia has such systems, has sold them widely to other nations including Ukraine (and other nations, notably China, have also built them). Ukrainian separatists had recently claimed they have acquired one of these.

The Buk system was originally developed in the 1960s, and has been modified to increase battlefield characteristics, sold to a number of states and even built by other nations (including the Buk M1, developed in 1984, to Ukraine). The Buk M1 includes four ready launch solid fuel missiles in tubes on a mobile carrier with radar guidance.


Engagement range: 3–35 km / 2–22 miles
Engagement altitude: 30–22000 m / 100-72,000 ft
Speed: Mach 3
Ready to launch time: 5 minutes
Precision: 90-95%

Link to Wikipedia page on Buk missile systems.

There are also rumours circulating the ship was escorted by two Ukrainian fighters. Video of alleged chaff are likely incorrect - chaff is not anywhere nearly as large as what might be smoke trails in the video, and would not likely fall at the velocity and in the direction of aircraft parts.

Q. HAVE UKRAINE RELEASED SIGNALS INTERCEPTS TRANSCRIPTS DEMONSTRATING WHO SHOT MH 17 DOWN?

A. Ukrainian government intelligence sources have released alleged transcripts of separatist forces discussing the shootdown of a civilian aircraft.

Link to transcripts on BBC.

Q. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INVESTIGATION?

A. As the incident occurred with the borders of Ukraine, the Ukrainian National Bureau of Incidents and Accidents Investigation of Civil Aircraft (NBAAII) will lead the investigation. They have asked the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation, a United Nations organisation,) for assistance. Other participants will include Malaysia (aircraft registered there) and USA (NTSB; Boeing is the manufacturer) and likely to include: Eurocontrol, Netherlands, the EC and EACAC; those countries who lost nationals will also be invited to participate. Russian aviation agency MAK has stated ICAO should lead the investigation, and the "black boxes" should be turned over to ICAO.

If this was s shootdown: The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) stated that “any shoot down of a civilian aircraft operating in fully legal airspace, without any warning or justification, whether mistaken or not, represents a flagrant violation of international law and an irresponsible attack on the safety of international civil aviation.”