AviTrader sponsorship ad

Only now, four months after Malaysian Flight MH17 was downed, does the real investigation begin

Four months have passed since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was downed over the Ukraine, and only now have Dutch ‘emergency’ crash scene investigators begun to remove debris from the site – the work is being supervised by Dutch Safety Board investigators and observed by the OSCE. The intention is to transport the fragments of the jet to the nearby Ukrainian city of Kharkov for initial inspection, from where they will then be flown back to Amsterdam. However it is not the complete wreckage, but purely parts previously identified as being significant in the need to accurately determine the real cause of the downing of the plane that are required.
Principal speculation rests on the plane being struck by an advanced computerized Russian Buk-M2 SAM missile when in Ukrainian airspace. However further speculation suggests the plane was attacked by fighter jets. After 4 months of the wreckage site being left pretty much to the mercy of the local population, one wonders how much vital evidence has already been taken away, not deliberately, but through the locals’ resourcefulness for using ’discarded’ materials. Admittedly when the plane was first downed the area was too dangerous for a team of crash site investigators to examine – the level of engagement between the Russian army and the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) was consistently high. The crash site has been victim to further engagements between the two sides, destroying much of the evidence, as well as further delaying any necessary investigation. This new round of investigations, which is expected to last for ten days, has already revealed further body parts, and human rights activists are making it clear the current delays don’t add up. Georgy Fedorov, a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, feels the delays regarding the investigation around flight MH17 are being deferred deliberately and that the sluggish pace of the investigation points towards that. “We’ve addressed all [possible] organizations to form an international commission based on the UN and OSCE to investigate the crash, but there’s no result so far,” Fedorov told RIA Novosti, stating that DPR authorities have always been ready to let experts work unhindered on the crash site.
“Looks like somebody wants to hush up the story, once they failed to put the blame for it on Russia,” Fedorov said, promising to make the Public Chamber address the UN and Ukrainian government to complete the investigation in a prompt manner.

Share this Article
[avi_get_posts]

2026 MEDIA KIT

VP Sales & Business Development Americas
Tamar Jorssen
tamar.jorssen@avitrader.com
Phone: +1 (778) 213 8543
VP International Sales & Marketing
Malte Tamm
malte.tamm@avitrader.com
Phone: +49 (0)162 8263049

Subscribe to the most widely accepted news source in the aviation industry!


Free daily, weekly and monthly MRO publications delivered straight to your inbox!
News Alerts, Editorials, Marketplace, Expert Corner, Executive Interviews and more ...

Select publications:

*We respect your privacy and AviTrader will not share your email address with any third parties.