Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
9M-MRD, the aircraft involved, seen in 2011
Shootdown
Date17 July 2014 (2014-07-17);
10 years, 4 months ago
SummaryShot down by a Buk 9M38 surface-to-air missile transported from Russia on the day of the crash[1][2]
SiteNear Hrabove, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
48°08′18.1″N 38°38′21.3″E / 48.138361°N 38.639250°E / 48.138361; 38.639250[3]: 111 
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 777-2H6ER[a]
OperatorMalaysia Airlines
IATA flight No.MH17
ICAO flight No.MAS17
Call signMalaysian 17
Registration9M-MRD
Flight originAmsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands
DestinationKuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia
Occupants298
Passengers283
Crew15
Fatalities298
Survivors0

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17/MAS17)[b] was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down by Russian-backed forces[4][5][6][7] with a Buk 9M38 surface-to-air missile on 17 July 2014, while flying over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed.[8] Contact with the aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, was lost when it was about 50 kilometres (31 mi; 27 nmi) from the Ukraine–Russia border, and wreckage from the aircraft landed near Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 40 km (25 mi; 22 nmi) from the border.[9] The shoot-down occurred during the war in Donbas over territory controlled by Russian separatist forces.[10]

The responsibility for investigation was delegated to the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) and the Dutch-led joint investigation team (JIT), which in 2016 reported that the aircraft had been downed by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory in Ukraine.[3][11] The JIT found that the Buk originated from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Federation[12][13] and had been transported from Russia on the day of the crash, fired from a field in a rebel-controlled area, and that the launch system returned to Russia afterwards.[1][2][12]

The findings by the DSB and JIT were consistent with earlier claims by American and German intelligence sources[14][15] and claims by the Ukrainian government.[16] On the basis of the JIT's conclusions, the governments of the Netherlands and Australia held Russia responsible for the deployment of the Buk installation and began pursuing legal remedies in May 2018.[17][18] The Russian government denied involvement in the shooting down of the aircraft,[13][19][20] and its account of how the aircraft was shot down has varied over time.[21] Coverage in Russian media has also differed from that in other countries,[22][23] which initially characterised it as separatist forces shooting down a "Ukrainian Air Force An-26 transport plane" before switching to blaming Ukrainian forces for shooting down MH17.

On 17 November 2022, following a trial in absentia in the Netherlands, two Russians and a Ukrainian separatist were found guilty of murdering all 298 people on board flight MH17. The Dutch court also ruled that Russia was in control of the separatist forces fighting in eastern Ukraine at the time.[4]

MH17 was Malaysia Airlines' second aircraft loss during 2014, after the disappearance of Flight 370 four months prior on 8 March.[24] It is also the deadliest aircraft shoot-down incident to date.[25]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SMH JIT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BBC News 28 September 2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference DSB_Final_Report was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Rankin, Jennifer (17 November 2022). "Three men found guilty of murdering 298 people in shooting down of MH17". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  5. ^ "MH17 – Russian SAM battery named as guilty". Royal Aeronautical Society. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  6. ^ Tanno, Sophie (17 November 2022). "Dutch court finds two Russians, one Ukrainian separatist guilty over downing of flight MH17". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  7. ^ Romein, Daniel (23 February 2016). "MH17 - Potential Suspects and Witnesses from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade". bellingcat. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference dsb1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Alexander, Harriet (17 July 2014). "Malaysia Airlines plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border – live". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  10. ^ Higgins, Andrew; Clark, Nicola (9 September 2014). "Malaysian Jet Over Ukraine Was Downed by 'High-Energy Objects,' Dutch Investigators Say". The New York Times.
  11. ^ Weaver, Matthew (13 October 2015). "MH17 crash report: Dutch investigators confirm Buk missile hit plane – live updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  12. ^ a b "MH17 missile owned by Russian brigade, investigators say". BBC News. 24 May 2018.
  13. ^ a b Smith-Spark, Laura; Masters, James (24 May 2018). "Missile that downed MH17 'owned by Russian brigade'". CNN.
  14. ^ Bennett, Brian (22 July 2014). "U.S. officials believe attack against Malaysian plane was mistake". Los Angeles Times.
  15. ^ Tharoor, Ishaan (20 July 2014). "The evidence that may prove pro-Russian separatists shot down MH17". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  16. ^ "Yatsenyuk: 'We need to survive first'". Kyiv Post. 22 August 2014.
  17. ^ "MH17: The Netherlands and Australia hold Russia responsible". Government of the Netherlands. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  18. ^ Magnay, Jacquelin; Riordan, Primrose (25 May 2018). "MH17 evidence points to 'rogue state' Russia, Tony Abbott says". The Australian. Bunnik. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Ukraine crisis: Poroshenko offers rebels more autonomy". BBC News. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  20. ^ Sipalan, Joseph (21 June 2019). "Russians made a 'scapegoat' after MH17 report released, says Malaysia PM". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Belling1518 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference UPI22714 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference NR20714 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ "Media Statement 7: MH17 Incident". Malaysia Airlines. 19 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference reuters was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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