Malaysia's MH17 black box recovery a breakthrough in probe, says Dutch authority

MH17 | Malaysia's success in securing Malaysia Airlines' Flight 17 (MH17) data flight recorder from rebel-held territory in Donetsk, Ukraine days after its tragic crash on July 17, 2014 was the main breakthrough in the incident's investigation, says the Dutch Safety Board.

In a briefing session with Malaysian journalists on Friday, senior investigator (aviation) Gijsbert Vogelaar (above, centre) said the data recorder, otherwise known as the black box, played a crucial part in validating their findings on what could have caused the crash.

"In the beginning (of the investigation), we had to start working without the wreckage. But we have many photographs, of course, we have the radar data, and cockpit flight data recorder (black box).

"So based on all that information, we learned a lot about the incident before we got the wreckage," he told reporters during the special briefing session held at the board's office in The Hague, Netherlands.

A group of Malaysian journalists are here as participants of a programme organised by the Netherlands government, in conjunction with the upcoming MH17 criminal trial that has been scheduled to start this Monday.

"We call this a main thing because we can't see the wreckage.

"Even when you can see the wreckage, still the recorder has very valuable data on it. The Malaysian authorities, whom I met later, they did a very good job to get the recorders," Vogelaar added.

According to the veteran investigator, the black box revealed that there was no problem with the flight before it was shot down by a BUK missile system while flying through the Ukrainian airspace.

While the investigation could still be carried out without the data recorder, Vogelaar said the team would have had a problem to validate this finding.

MAS pilots, crew assisted in understanding cockpit conversation

Meanwhile, Ron Smits, who was in charge of the aircraft's wreckage recovery and reconstruction, said investigators were also aided by Malaysia Airlines pilots and crew to understand what had happened in the cockpit before the crash.

They were called in to listen to the conversation in the cockpit as they were more familiar with the victims.

Despite the difficulty of the crew to listen to the voices of their deceased colleagues, Smits applauded their participation in helping investigators understand what was going on.

"It was hard for them to do it. But they did a good job."

On July 22, 2014, about five days after the crash, a team of Malaysian experts led by Colonel Mohamed Sakri of the Malaysian National Security Council received two black boxes from senior separatist leader Aleksander Borodai in a ceremony held at the headquarters of his self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

Sakri had told the meeting the two black boxes were "in good condition". The rebels had also handed over 200 bodies to the investigation team, who then brought them to the Netherlands for identification.

For the record, the Dutch Safety Board led an international joint investigation into the crash, with the aim of determining what had happened to the flight and its causes based on factual information.

It is a separate investigation that runs parallel with a criminal probe by the Joint Investigation Team, also participated by Malaysia among others.

As a result of the criminal investigation, three Russians and a Ukrainian linked to the DPR are going to face charges for the downing of the aircraft and the murder of 298 people onboard.

It is expected that three of the suspects would be tried in absentia, while one has reportedly engaged Dutch lawyers to represent him during the trial before the Dutch district court in Schiphol.

The Dutch Safety Board, meanwhile, has come out with a series of recommendations to prevent such incident in the future, including airspace management in conflict areas by states dealing with armed conflict in its territory, risk assessment by flight operators, and accountability of operators to disclose routes they have selected over conflict areas. - Mkini