Main points of the MH17 crash report

[bemildred]

THE HAGUE (AFP) - Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed in mid-July over pro-Russian separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

Here are the main points from a preliminary report released on Tuesday by the Dutch Safety Board (OVV), which is leading the probe:

1. Flight MH17 hit by high-energy objects: The damage to the Boeing 777 forward fuselage and cockpit section appears to "indicate that there were impacts from a large number of high-energy objects from outside".

The observation was made based on pictures taken of parts of the wreckage which shows "multiple holes and indentations".

2. The plane broke up in mid-air: The wreckage on the ground "suggests that the aircraft split into pieces during the flight" as a result of being hit by the high-energy objects.

"The distribution of pieces of the aircraft indicates the aircraft broke up in mid-air."

The wreckage was found over a large area of 10km by 5km, with satellite images supporting the finding.

The report said pieces of the forward part of the plane was found closest to the last registration of the flight data recorder, "indicating that these parts broke off from the aircraft first".

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/main-points-the-mh17-crash-report-20140909

[geek tragedy]

1. Head-on strike seems to be implied.

Which in turn has implications for the geographic origin of the missile.

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2. Indicates the cockpit got hit/destroyed first, and then airspeed tore the rest of it apart.

Confirms it was no accident and not human error (in the aircraft anyway). It got shot down. Not some high-flying duck. But we knew that.

I hope forensic testing can produce some facts about what it got hit with, once they are able to go around collecting metal bits and whatnot from the ground.

Pending that happening, they're still going to have to release the ATC tapes and black box data if they want to shut people up about it.

[geek tragedy]

3. Nothing shuts people up.

That said, full transparency and disclosure should be the goals, after the investigation has run its course.

[bemildred]

4. Well, not really, but you can adjust the volume, and change how much other people listen.

Having secrets makes it easy to speculate. As we see.