The Dutch commission investigating the July 17, 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 presented its findings at the Gilze-Rijen air force base.
Dutch #MH17 presentation will begin momentarily. No questions from press will be taken. Findings first in Dutch, then English.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) 13 октября 2015
The board said that flight MH17 crashed as a result of a warhead which detonated as a result of a 9M38-series missile, which is in concurrence with the Almaz-Antey findings. According to the findings, this could mean that the warhead was launched from both the 9M18 and the 9M38M1 missile.
The board chairman Tjibbe Joustra added that Ukrainian authorities failed to close airspace despite armed conflict in the Donbass area.
There was sufficient reason to close airspace; #Ukraine authorities failed to it - #Dutch Safety board #MH17
— Irina Galushko (@IrinaGalushkoRT) 13 октября 2015
The board added that despite Ukraine being aware of a threat to aviation in the region, it did not close the airspace.
The board also gave suggestions for improving risk analysis and transparency for both countries and operators.
#MH17 live report: 162 flights operated above the area until the airspace was closed after the crash.
— Alex Macheras (@AlexInAir) 13 октября 2015
The board concluded that the 9N314M warhead caused bowtie-shaped marks on the plane's body, leading to the breakup of the plane in midair.
The animation showed that the objects found inside the pilots had square and bowtie-shaped objects. The board also presented a possible direction from which the explosion took place according to sound recordings made in the cockpit.
#Ukraine Gov to blame for letting planes fly over the east. A BUK shot it down. Who fired it? #MH17 (don't assume blame as facts not known)
— James Hotham (@JamesHotham) 13 октября 2015
The Board said that it also investigated possible launch sites for the missile, concluding that it was made from a 320 square kilometer area in Eastern Ukraine.
Three simulations run by the Netherlands, Russia and Ukraine presented varying launch sites. The board did not comment on the area from which the missile was fired, saying that it falls outside the board's responsibility.
Flight MH17 crashed while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk on July 17, 2014. All 298 people on board, mostly Dutch citizens, perished in the accident.
The board claimed in its preliminary report that the plane broke up in-air from structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects.
Russian arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey, the manufacturer of Buk missile systems, also presented the results of its simulation of the flight MH17 crash on Tuesday. In June, Almaz-Antey published the results of its inquiry into the crash, confirming that the plane could not have been shot down from areas controlled by local militia in eastern Ukraine.
