The reconstructed cockpit of flight MH17 is on display during a press conference to release the investigation report on the cause of its crash, at the Gilze-Rijen air base, the Netherlands, on Oct. 13, 2015. The crash of flight MH17 on 17 July last year was caused by the detonation of a 9N314M-type warhead launched from eastern Ukraine using a Buk missile system, said the investigation report published Tuesday by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB). (Xinhua/Sylvia Lederer)
GILZE-RIJEN AIR BASE, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crash was caused by a Buk missile system, the Dutch Safety Board concluded in one of its final reports published on Tuesday.
"The in-flight breakup of the aircraft near the Ukrainian/Russian border was caused by the detonation of a warhead close to the left front of the plane," Safety Board director Tjibbe Joustra said. "The weapon used was a warhead model 9N314M a missile 9M38 series, as installed on the Buk surface-to-air missile system."
"Additional forensic is needed to determine the location of the launch," Joustra added. "That is outside the mandate of the Dutch Safety Board."
The Dutch Safety Board led the investigation on the cause of the crash and Joustra made public the long-awaited findings during a presentation at Gilze-Rijen Airbase on Tuesday.
Prior to the official publication of the final reports, around 600 relatives were informed about the conclusions of the investigation during a closed information meeting at the World Forum in The Hague. According to the relatives, the reports stated that occupants of the Malaysian Airlines flight lost consciousness seconds after the impact of a missile, with the cockpit crew being killed instantly.
The Boeing 777 Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 last year on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people on board died.
On Sept. 9 last year the DSB already issued its first preliminary report, stating the crash had an external cause, probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside.
The answer to the questions of blame or liability is still open. Answering those questions is a matter for criminal investigation by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), led by the Dutch national police and prosecutor.
Related:
Kremlin slams lack of cooperation in MH17 crash investigation
MOSCOW, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Dutch investigators of the Malaysian MH17 plane crash have repeatedly refused to cooperate with Russian experts, a Kremlin spokesman said Monday.Full Story
New human remains MH17 victims found
THE HAGUE, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Local authorities in eastern Ukraine collected new human remains of victims of the MH17 flight disaster, the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice announced on Friday.
Mortal remains and personal belongings were found in the vicinity of a burned site, a location where large fire has raged, near Hrabove, where flight MH17 came down. The mayors of the surrounding districts have collected all material and safely secured it over the past few months.Full Story
Dutch investigators find Buk missile parts possibly connected with MH17 crash
THE HAGUE, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Several parts from a possible Buk surface-to-air missile system have been found in the disaster area of the MH17 crash in eastern Ukraine, the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) and the Dutch national public prosecutor announced in a joint press release Tuesday.Full Story
