MH17: Preliminary Report

By Online Editor -
The Dutch Safety Board  investigating the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17 in Ukraine released its  Preliminary Report earlier today.

The report states that the plane was hit by high velocity projectiles that struck the cockpit destroying the structural integrity of the plane and causing it to plummet to the ground.  There are no signs of any mechanical failure or pilot error.


Page 25 figure 10 of the report  indicates that the projectiles that punctured the plane came from above the cockpit floor

There is no damage to the bottom or the body of the plane's fuselage.




Photographs not listed in the DSB board shows gauges to the top of the left wing that align up with the plane's cockpit

Whilst the report avoided making any definitive accusations or statements to the cause of the planes demise they did not rule in or out the possibility of an air to air attack,


Russian radar recorded at the time of the incident shows that there was at least one Ukrainian Fighter jet trailing flight MH17.  This is backed up by eyewitness accounts from people on the ground

The DSB report does not rule in or out the Ground to Air BUK missile attack but there has neither been any explanation as to how a BUK can cause the damage recorded to the cockpit and the top of the planes wing.  The attack had to come from above the cockpits floor.





In the absence of this information there is only one scenario that fits the bill based on the known facts already





The only way to know for sure is to collect the wreckage of the plane and reconstruct the cockpit area and determine exactly the angle of projection of the penetration holes that struck the plane,

The DSB has said that it needs to undertake closer examination of the planes wreckage to do more testing before it brings down its final report expected before July 2015

With the ceasefire in place in Eastern Ukraine recovery of the wreckage should be possible provided the Ukrainian Government does not get there first.

The BUK scenario







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dissecting the vote: Zakarpattia and Ternopil

By Online Editor -
Two interesting outcomes in the final round vote that have not been widely discussed in the English media is the outcome in Zakarpattia and Ternopil. We are not sure if it has been been discussed in the Ukrainian media 1. Viktor Yanukovych was the highest polling candidate in Zakarpattiia previsoully Our Ukraine/Yushchenko were the highest. (See 2004,2006 and 2007 election results ) District 74 місто Берегове (Beregove - a Hungarian community located near the border) 2. The other interesting observation is that Yanukovych actually went backwards between the first round and the second round in Ternopiil.  In the first round Yanukovych received 6354 (0.26% of the national vote) in the second final round, with less number of candidates, Yanukovych recorded only 5370 (0.21% of the national vote)  Why Yanukovych went backwards in the second round is any ones guess but we think this  would make interesting reading.
<Additional Information>

Averting a Post-Orange Disaster - Andreas Umland

By Online Editor -
"As Ukraine's economic, social and political crisis sharpens, more and more Ukrainians may question the wisdom of conducting a costly presidential election when the Ukrainian state is almost bankrupt--if not on the brink of collapse." Constitutional Reforms and Political Stability in Ukraine by Dr. Andreas Umland Source: Harvard International Review June, 2009 After several years of impressive economic growth and encouraging political change, Ukraine has recently entered troubled waters. The democracies west of Ukraine are institutionally consolidated and internationally embedded enough to circumscribe the political repercussions of their so far relatively mild economic contractions. While being hit almost as hard as Ukraine by the world financial crisis, Russia has managed to build considerable financial reserves thanks to the enormous cash inflow into her state budget during the years of rocketing energy prices, allowing her to soften the social repercussions of the eco
<Additional Information>

History repeats: Victor Yushchenko interferes with Ukraine's judicial process.

By Online Editor -
The Kyiv Administrative court has issued a injunction suspending the Presidents decree dismissing Ukraine's democratically elected parliament. In what is reminiscent of events unfolded last year, Victor Yushchenko has again interfered with the independence of Ukraine's judiciary . In April 2007 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ( PACE ) passed a resolution in consideration of a report titled Functioning of democratic institutions in Ukraine . (Items 13 and 14) stated: “The Assembly deplores the fact that the judicial system of Ukraine has been systematically misused by other branches of power and that top officials do not execute the courts’ decisions, which is a sign of erosion of this crucial democratic institution. An independent and impartial judiciary is a precondition for the existence of a democratic society governed by the rule of law." The associated explanatory report under the sub-heading of Pressure on the courts expressed concern that &qu
<Additional Information>