“Blown out of the sky.” That’s how Vice President Joe Biden described what happened to Malaysia Air Flight MH-17 Thursday. The 777 was downed late Thursday morning our time, and ever since, experts have been trying to figure out exactly what happened. Now, there’s concern about flying overseas.
Ukrainian rebel forces say they have found the black box from the flight and plan to turn it over to Russian authorities. It’s still unclear as to who actually fired the missile that brought the plane down: Ukrainians, Russians, or rebels, but US experts believe the missile was Russian technology. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin lays the blame on Ukraine, saying, “This tragedy would not have happened if there were peace on this land.”
After the tragedy, air traffic controllers around the world re-routed flight paths away from the contested region. Something the American Federal Aviation Authority had done 3 months ago. It’s not exactly clear what would motivate a pilot or airline to set a route along that path. Ukrainian rebels had already shot down several other cargo planes in the past few days. Although dangerous, it was the shortest path for MH-17’s destination.
