While the recorders from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 are crucial for the investigation, they are unlikely to explain the reason the plane was shot down over Ukraine. The cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders would have ceased functioning after a missile strike disabled the plane’s power. Analysis of the recorders will be led by the Netherlands, with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, to determine the plane’s altitude, flight path, and whether the pilots received any warnings. According to aviation lawyer Steve Marks of Podhurst Orseck, it is doubtful that a radio warning was issued, as U.S. intelligence would have likely detected and released such information. Ultimately, identifying who authorized and executed the missile launch remains more critical than the data from the recorders.
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Originally published by Bart Jansen | Jul 22, 2014 | USA Today
