Satellite data shows MH370 plane crashed into the Indian Ocean

Critical days were lost in the search for MH370 because Malaysian authorities initially rejected evidence from a British satellite company that the Boeing 777 with 239 aboard was in the Southern Indian Ocean.

British sources told AirlineRatings.com Editor Geoffrey Thomas that within 24 hours of the disappearance of MH370 on March 8, Inmarsat, a satellite communications company based in the United Kingdom, advised the relevant Malaysian authorities of their findings but were rebuffed.

Inmarsat then approached the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) with its data and it immediately recognized the significance.

Inmarsat was contracted to provide a data link to the Malaysian Airlines fleet and continued to get a signal every hour from MH370 till 8.19 a.m. Perth time.

The Malaysian authorities were forced to take the findings seriously when the AAIB teamed with Inmarsat to represent the data around March 14 - five days after the Boeing 777 disappeared.

Video compares Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and Buk missile capability

This STK animation compares the flight path of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and the strike capabilities (range and altitude) of the Buk missile system that is believed to be the weapon that was used to shoot down the aircraft on July 17.

Malaysia Airlines MH17 passengers en route to AIDS conference

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) expressed deep sadness regarding the tragedy of downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 and the loss of all those aboard. “While full details remain unconfirmed, it is believed that many passengers were en route to the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014), scheduled to take place in Melbourne, Australia,” the organization said Friday in a press statement.

Joep Lange, M.D., former president of the International AIDS Society, is thought to be among the many members of the HIV/AIDS community reported to have been on board Flight MH17.

"His broad research expertise and extraordinary contributions to the field included some of the earliest studies on prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Africa,” said Laura Guay, M.D., vice president of research at EGPAF.

“The HIV/AIDS community is bonded by the common purpose to end the epidemic, and today we are also joined in sorrow as we mourn the loss of many great advocates, researchers, and friends aboard Flight MH17,” the foundation said.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash updates

Malaysia Airlines confirms it received notification from Ukrainian Air Traffic Control that it had lost contact with flight MH17 at 10:15 a.m. EDT on Thursday 18 miles from Tamak waypoint, approximately 31 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border.

Flight MH17 operated on a Boeing 777-200ER (tail number 9M-MRD) departed Amsterdam at 12.15 p.m.  (Amsterdam local time) and was estimated to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 6.10 a.m. (Malaysia local time) the next day.

The flight was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew onboard. The Ukraine Interior Ministry Adviser stated that the airplane was shot down over the Donetsk region.

Eurocontrol

Europe's air traffic management authorities, known as Eurocontrol, said MH17 was flying at Flight Level 330 (33,000 feet) when it disappeared from the radar. "This route had been closed by the Ukrainian authorities from ground to flight level 320 but was open at the level at which the aircraft was flying," Eurocontrol said in a statement. The aircraft’s flight route was declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. "Since the crash, the Ukrainian authorities have informed Eurocontrol of the closure of routes from the ground to unlimited in Eastern Ukraine (Dnipropetrovsk Flight Information Region). All flight plans that are filed using these routes are now being rejected by Eurocontrol. The routes will remain closed until further notice." Malaysia Airlines has confirmed that the aircraft did not make a distress call.

Government of Malaysia

The Government of Malaysia is dispatching a special flight to Kiev, carrying a Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, as well as a medical team. According to information provided by Kiev Air Traffic Control, the location of the plane’s emergency locator beacon is 48 degrees 7 minutes and 23 seconds north; and 38 degrees 31 minutes and 33 seconds east.
"We must – and we will – find out precisely what happened to this flight," said Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak. "No stone can be left unturned." The Ukrainian president also confirmed that his government will negotiate with rebels in the east of the country, in order to establish a humanitarian corridor to the crash site.

Boeing

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those on board the Malaysia Airlines airplane lost over Ukrainian airspace, as well as their families and loved ones," The Boeing Company said in statement, the manufacturer of the Boeing 777. "Boeing stands ready to provide whatever assistance is requested by authorities."

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

"Much is unclear about the circumstances of the crash. However the instability in the region, caused by Russian-backed separatists, has created an increasingly dangerous situation," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "It is important that a full international investigation should be launched immediately, without any hindrance, to establish the facts and that those who may be responsible are swiftly brought to justice."

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

The FAA has issued a Notice to Airman prohibiting U.S. flight operations in the airspace over eastern Ukraine until further notice due to recent events and the potential for continued hazardous activities. The restricted area includes the entire Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk region. This action expands a prohibition of U.S. flight operations issued by the FAA in April, over the Crimean region of Ukraine and adjacent areas of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. No scheduled U.S. airlines are currently flying routes through this airspace.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

The NTSB announced Friday that they will send investigators to Ukriane. "Response will be guided by events as they unfold," the agency said in a message on Twitter.