Jump to content

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

Coordinates: 48°8′42″N 38°38′54″E / 48.14500°N 38.64833°E / 48.14500; 38.64833
Page extended-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by John (talk | contribs) at 17:39, 17 July 2014 (→International reactions: lose tabloid). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
9M-MRD, the Boeing 777-200ER involved in the crash, seen at Perth Airport in August 2010
Incident
Date17 July 2014 (2014-07-17)
SummaryUnknown
SiteNear Hrabove, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
48°8′42″N 38°38′54″E / 48.14500°N 38.64833°E / 48.14500; 38.64833
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 777-200ER
OperatorMalaysia Airlines
Registration9M-MRD
Flight originAmsterdam Airport Schiphol
DestinationKuala Lumpur International Airport
Passengers280
Crew15

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17/MAS17)[a] was a scheduled international passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. The Boeing 777-200ER crashed near Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the border with Russia[1] on 17 July 2014, carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew members.[2] It was Malaysia Airlines' second incident in fewer than five months, following the disappearance of Flight 370 in early March 2014.[3]

Initial reports said the Ukrainian government suggested that it was shot down at an altitude of 10,000 metres (33,000 ft) by a surface-to-air missile.[4][5]

With 280 passengers and 15 crew members involved, this is the largest Malaysia Airlines incident to date. It surpasses Flight 370, also a Boeing 777-200ER, in which 227 passengers and 12 crew were involved.[6]

Crash

The aircraft departed from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Gate G03 at 12:14 CEST (10:14 UTC). The number of people on the plane is assumed to be 295 (280 passengers and 15 crew members) and there are assumed to be no survivors, though this has not been formally confirmed.[7]

The plane crashed in the village of Hrabove just north of Torez, a city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, as it was approaching the Russian border.[1]

Locals filmed smoke coming from the site of the crash.[8][9]

Passengers

Malaysia Airlines has confirmed that there were 280 passengers and 15 crew members onboard MH17. [10]

Several Dutch travel agencies have confirmed that there were Dutch passengers on board MH17.[11]

Cause

Buk missile

Ukrainian interior ministry official Anton Gerashchenko stated on Facebook that the airliner was "shot down with a Buk anti-aircraft system by terrorists", referring to militants seeking to unite eastern Ukraine with Russia.[5]

Due to the current violence occurring in this area of Ukraine, it was suggested that it could have been shot down by a portable defence missile, although 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.[12]

Separatists have acknowledged shooting down an aircraft at approximately same time in approximately this location, claiming it was a Ukrainian military transport plane.[13] An Associated Press reporter on Thursday saw seven rebel-owned tanks parked at a gas station outside the eastern Ukrainian town of Snizhne. In the town, he also observed a Buk missile system, which can fire missiles up to an altitude of 22,000 meters (72,000 feet).[14]

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.[15] The aircraft was powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines, and configured to carry 282 passengers.[15]

The Boeing 777, introduced in 1994, 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 in June 1995, there have been only four other serious accidents involving hull-loss: British Airways Flight 38 in 2008; a cockpit fire in a parked EgyptAir 777-200 at Cairo International Airport in 2011; and Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in 2013, in which three people died. Another Malaysia Airlines 777, Flight 370 (registration 9M-MRO), went missing on 8 March 2014.

International reactions

  •  Ukraine – Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko wrote that the plane was brought down by a Buk ground-to-air missile, fired by separatists. [5][16]
  •  Malaysia – Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Twitter: "I am shocked by reports that an MH plane crashed. We are launching an immediate investigation."[17]
  •  Netherlands – 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. [18]
  •  United States – The US has said it will use its satellite imagery records to establish whether a surface-to-air missile was the cause of the crash.[19] Senator John McCain said that there would be serious repercussions if the cause of the accident was proven to be a shoot-down, saying: "If it is a result of either separatists or Russian actions mistakingly believing that this was a Ukrainian warplane, I think there's going to be hell to pay and there should be."[20]
  •  United Kingdom – The United Kingdom foreign office has stated that it is "urgently working to establish what has happened".[12]
  •  Singapore – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Twitter: "Shocked & saddened to hear of #MH17 crash in Ukraine. Our thoughts & prayers are with the passengers & crew, & their families."[21]
  •  Sweden – Foreign Secretary Carl Bildt wrote: "Absolutely horrible with Malaysia Airlines probably shot down over separatist area of Eastern Ukraine."[1]
  •  Poland – Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marcin Wojciechowski said on Twitter: "We are deeply moved by horrible tragedy in Eastern Ukraine. Heartful condolences to the Malaysian people and relatives of the victims."[22]
  •  Estonia – Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves tweeted: "Our thoughts are with the victims of the horrible downing of the Malaysian flight over Ukraine.",[23] followed by: "We need a thorough investigation and those responsible at whatever level must be brought to stand trial at the International Criminal Court." [24]

See also

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. ^ a b c "Malaysia Airlines plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border – live". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Crash: Malaysia B772 near Donetsk on Jul 17th 2014, disappeared from radar". Avherald.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  3. ^ Template:Fr « Crash du vol MH17 de Malaysia Airlines », Sébastien Bossi, Le Journal International, 17 juillet 2014
  4. ^ Alissa De Carbonnel (17 July 2014). "Malaysian passenger plane crashes in Ukraine near Russian border -Ifax". Reuters. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Anton Zverev (17 July 2014). "Ukraine says rebels shoot down Malaysian airliner, 295 dead". GRABOVO Ukraine, via Reuters.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashes in east Ukraine". Retrieved 17 July 2014. {{cite news}}: Text "World news" ignored (help); Text "theguardian.com" ignored (help)
  8. ^ "В Торезе сбили самолет".
  9. ^ "В районе Снежного сбили самолёт 17.07.2014".
  10. ^ "Travel Advisory – Media Statement 1 : MH17 Incident". Malaysia Airlines. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ a b "Malaysia airliner crashes in east Ukraine near Russia border".
  13. ^ 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 // lifenews.ru 18:34 / 17.07.2014
  14. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ukraine-air-force-jet-downed-russian-missile-24598894
  15. ^ a b "Malaysia Airlines 9M-MRD (Boeing 777 – MSN 28411) | Airfleets aviation". Airfleets.net. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  16. ^ "Malaysian passenger plane 'shot down' in Ukraine – Channel 4 News". Channel4.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  17. ^ "Twitter / NajibRazak: I am shocked by reports that". Twitter.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  18. ^ "Verklaring premier Rutte over crash MH17 | Binnenland". Telegraaf.nl. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  19. ^ "BBC News – Malaysia airliner crashes in east Ukraine near Russia border". Bbc.co.uk. 5 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  20. ^ "Sen. John McCain promises 'incredible repercussions' if Malaysian flight shot down". KTAR News. Associated Press. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014. McCain added, "If it is a result of either separatists or Russian actions mistakingly believing that this was a Ukrainian warplane, I think there's going to be hell to pay and there should be."
  21. ^ "Twitter / leehsienloong: Shocked & saddened to hear". Twitter.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  22. ^ "Twitter / maw75: We are deeply moved by horrible". Twitter.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  23. ^ "Twitter / IlvesToomas: Our thoughts are with the victims". Twitter.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  24. ^ "Twitter / IlvesToomas: We need a thorough investigation". Twitter.com. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_17&oldid=617343784"