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Figure 16: Inside of the valve in closed position with crack and marked bracket. Inset shows detail of the
                bracket with pin showing damage on pin and rib. (Source: Dutch Safety Board)

Left engine intake ring (11)
The leading edge of the left engine intake ring was found in the south-eastern region of
site 2. The ring showed perforation damage on approximately the 40, 50, 60, 135, 180,
200, 290 and 300 degree positions, aft looking forward. See Figure 17.

Figure 17: Damaged left engine intake ring, with impact marks seen from the front side (left photo) and from
                the rear side (right photo). (Source: Dutch Safety Board)

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A centre overhead luggage compartment was located in a line of trees. The compartment,
with overhead luggage bins on both sides, came from the centre section above rows 1
and 2. One of the overhead bins had a placard with ‘2 DFG’, indicating row 2 seat D, F
and G. The overhead luggage compartment contained fragments of 5 overhead bins.
2.12.2.3 Wreckage site 3 (red)
The cockpit and most of the lower part of the surrounding fuselage (section 41) was
found in site 3 (Figure 14), about 7 km south-west of Hrabove. The site, approximately 70
x 40 metres, was located in a sunflower feld situated on the southern corner of the village
of Rozsypne. Within this relatively concentrated site, cockpit instruments, avionics
equipment and fragments of cabin and cargo furnishings were found. Aside from
flattened vegetation, shallow impact marks were observed on the ground. The distance
between the site where the cockpit fell and the place where the frst larger pieces of
wreckage were found, near wreckage site 4, is approximately 6 km.
Photographic and video evidence from the days after the crash indicated that site 3 had
been disturbed and aeroplane parts and cargo had been removed from the site. A
number of avionics units, photographed by third parties following the days of the crash,
were no longer present during the recovery mission of the Dutch Safety Board in
November 2014.
General description cockpit and surrounding fuselage (14)
The forward portion of the aeroplane, part of the cockpit including the forward bulkhead,
was found in a tilted nose-down position facing in an easterly direction. The cockpit and
surrounding fuselage had separated in the longitudinal direction of the aeroplane
revealing cockpit and cabin furnishings. It is of note that the upper portion of the cockpit
fuselage was not located in site 3.
The nose landing gear wheel bay and the avionics compartment had perforated the
cockpit floor and cabin floor pushing it in an upward direction. The adjacent cabin floor
had separated in the longitudinal direction into two pieces. The left portion of the cabin
floor was still attached to the fuselage and parts of the left galley were visible. Other
than the severe structural damage of the fuselage, the bottom portion of the fuselage
was found as a whole. The fuselage on the right hand side of the aeroplane had sheared
behind the large cargo door and the adjacent cargo floor was visible.
On the left hand side of the cockpit, between STA132.5 and STA220.5 of the aeroplane,
no pieces of fuselage were recovered. The left angle of attack sensor, still attached to a
portion of the fuselage, was located in the vicinity of the cockpit wreckage.
The right hand side of the cockpit remained fairly intact. The window panes of the right
cockpit windows were still in place. The presence of soot is noted on the inside of the
right cockpit windows 2 and 3. The upper portion of the right hand side of the fuselage
showed evidence of both perforation and ricochet marks. In contrast to the left hand
side of the cockpit (see paragraph 2.12.2.7), the lower right hand side did not show similar
signs of perforation from the outside (see Figure 19). The size of the perforation holes is
detailed in paragraph 2.6 of Appendix X.

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Figure 20: Forward pressure bulkhead and right hand                    Figure 21: Puncture holes on left hand
                fuselage. (Source: Dutch Safety Board)                                        fuselage at the forward pressure bulkhead.
                                                                                                                (Source: Dutch Safety Board)

A large part of the cockpit floor was found, broken up in several parts, and stripped of
most of its content, see Figure 22. Seats, centre console, wall structure and most of the
control mechanics were separated from the floor structure; only part of the frst offcer’s
control mechanism remained attached. A part of the right hand side of the cockpit floor
was attached to the aft side of the forward pressure bulkhead. This piece of wreckage
included a signifcant part of the frst offcer’s controls and the associated link mechanism.
It was extensively deformed and the construction was folded in on itself.

Figure 22: Cockpit floor with floor parts showing perforation holes. (Source: Dutch Safety Board)

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Within close proximity to the cockpit wreckage, cockpit furnishings, including pilot seats
and cockpit instruments were found. Together with parts of the cockpit floor, the throttle
quadrant and pedestal had been pushed in an upward direction. The left hand side plate
and the throttle quadrant showed perforation damage (see Figure 25). The remainder of
the cockpit instruments such as the Mode Control Panel and a number of cockpit display
units were found in a heap. A large part of the centre pedestal was recovered.

Figure 25: Throttle quadrant (viewed from the left hand side) showing perforation damage. (Source: NLR)

Most of the captain’s seat was recovered in close proximity to the wreckage. It was found
in three parts: seat bottom, backrest and headrest. All of the parts showed perforation
damage and signs of distortion by ground impact.
The main structure of the frst offcer’s seat was deformed and had perforation holes,
mainly on the backrest support. The floor plate to the left of the seat showed extensive
holing, as did the headrest panel. See Figure 26.

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Figure 27: Perforation holes in seat back panel of left observer seat. Note: The seat back panel is shown flat
                on the floor in this image. (Source: NLR)

From the area just behind the cockpit, at the level of the frst doors, one part of the floor
(composite honeycomb structure) was retrieved. The floor panel included a number of
beams, but lacked all of the structure above floor level. The part showed some damage,
but no perforation damage.
A number of the avionic units, located in the forward section of the aeroplane, were
recovered. One possible object impact mark was found on top of the left engine vibration
monitoring unit. This is located on the outboard side of rack numbered E1-4, which is
close to the fuselage on the left hand side.
Cargo and containers
A number of cargo containers and their content were distributed close to the wreckage.
2.12.2.4 Wreckage site 4 (green)
The fuselage of the aeroplane between the wing and the tail section (section 46 to
section 48) was primarily located in site 4, approximately 2 kilometres south, south-west
of Hrabove. Pieces of wreckage, including both horizontal stabilizers and both wing tips
were distributed over this site of approximately 540 x 650 metres. The site contains a
number of farm buildings surrounded by a fence and it was partially surrounded by a
forest which was located in a gully. The right stabilizer was found in a small lake in the
south-easterly part of the site. An overview of the wreckage site and the location of the
wreckage pieces is depicted in Figure 28. A total of about 50 oxygen generators were
recovered from sites 4 and 5.

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Small cargo door (4)
The small cargo door belonging to the right hand side of the aeroplane was found in
between the farm buildings. The door was found in one piece with the exterior side
facing upwards. The small cargo door vent, located on the upper side of the cargo door,
was missing. The door assembly was cracked in lateral direction.
Left and right trailing edge inboard flap (5 and 6)
A part of the inboard trailing edge flap of the left wing and a part of the inboard trailing
edge flap of the right wing were found in the feld east of the agricultural buildings. Both
inboard flaps had broken off in longitudinal direction revealing the inner structure on
both sides of the flaps.
Left hand fuselage with door 4L (7)
Door 4L and surrounding fuselage (STA1916 to STA2174) were identifed between a
number of buildings in the central region of site 4. The door was in the closed position
and a portion of the bottom fuselage was folded. Four window frames, including two
window panes as well as a part of the rear pressure bulkhead were still attached to the
fuselage. The aeroplane registration, ‘9M-MRD’ was visible.
Left hand fuselage between doors 3L and 4L (8, 9 and 10)
The left hand fuselage between doors 3L and 4L was separated in three pieces. The frst
piece (STA1546.5 to STA1622) was found in the feld, close to the fence surrounding a
number of farm buildings. The fuselage contained the right hand door frame of door 3L,
two window frames and a portion of the wing to body faring.
A second piece (STA1743 to STA1790) was found in the western region of site 4. This
piece included eight window frames, with some window panes still attached. The bottom
part of the fuselage showed a large tear in lateral direction.
The third piece was found close to the second piece in the feld, close to a fence
surrounding farm buildings. The fuselage (STA1790 to STA1916) contained fve complete
window frames, including two window panes. Three holes, approximately 10 by
10 centimetre, were noted; one below the window frames and one above the window
frames.
Right hand fuselage with small cargo door frame (11)
Fuselage with part of the aft side of the wing to body faring was found in the feld east of
the agricultural buildings. The fuselage contained the cargo door control switch, as well
as the right hand side of the frame of the small cargo door.
Lower fuselage below door 4 (12)
Part of the lower left hand fuselage (STA1958 to STA2150) was found in the eastern region
of site 4, in a feld to the east of the farm buildings. This part contained the lower part of
the frame of the pressure control system outflow valve and the tail strike indicator. On
the inside, part of the cargo floor was still attached to the fuselage.

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Right hand fuselage between door 3R and 4R (16)
The right hand side of the fuselage between doors 3R and 4R was located in the gully in
the wooded site on the northern region of site 4. The fuselage included the aft door
frame of door 3R, the cargo door frame and the bulk cargo door. The lower side of the
cargo door frame and door 3R itself were missing. The cargo door was found in the
central region of site 4, between a number of buildings. The fuselage above the windows
was missing. No impact damage on the fuselage was observed.
Auxiliary Power Unit cone (17)
The Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) cone was located in the gully in the small forest in the
northern region of site 4. The cone had broken off at STA2508 and no damage was
observed on the exterior side of the APU cone.
Inboard spoiler right wing (18)
An inboard spoiler belonging to the right wing was found with the top side facing
upwards in the feld east of the agricultural buildings. The spoiler was damaged along
the trailing edge of the spoiler assembly, revealing the internal structure.
Left hand fuselage with partial text ‘sia’ (19)
A portion of the fuselage of the left hand side with text ‘sia’, which is part of the ‘Malaysia’
logo on the side of the aeroplane (STA1014 to STA1077) was found in the feld east of the
buildings, in the eastern region of site 4.
Inboard spoilers left wing (20)
Two inboard spoilers, still attached to part of the spoiler assembly, belonging to the left
wing, were found in the gully. Both spoiler panels were damaged and a lower portion of
the wing was still attached to the spoiler assembly.
Right hand fuselage with partial text ‘9M-MRD’ (21)
This part of the fuselage (STA2150 to STA2295.65) belongs to the right hand side and
shows part of the registration ‘9’. The top side shows a mostly straight shear. Both sides
were jagged and the bottom side is irregularly sheared. Formers and stringers, as well as
a small part of the rear pressure bulkhead were still attached to the fuselage. Three holes
were visible; each approximately 1 by 2 centimetre. This part of the fuselage was found
in the north-eastern region in the feld east of the buildings.
Rear pressure bulkhead (22 and 23)
The rear pressure bulkhead was separated into four pieces. A small portion of the rear
pressure bulkhead was still attached to the fuselage surrounding door 4L. The largest
piece was found in the forest in the gully in the northern region of site 4. The remaining
part of the rear pressure bulkhead is missing.
Left hand lower fuselage (24)
The fuselage, belonging to the lower left hand side of the fuselage (STA1706 to STA1979)
was found in between the agricultural buildings. The exterior side of the fuselage was
facing upwards and a hole of approximately 10 by 15 centimetre was visible

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Figure 30: Overview of wreckage site 5 and the location of the wreckage pieces. (Source: Dutch Safety Board)

On the west side of the elevated road a burn site was identifed containing the remains
of the aeroplane’s aft section, including cabin furnishing (seats and seat tracks) and cargo.
These wreckage pieces were damaged by fre.
Photographic evidence and satellite imagery showed that the wreckage site was
disturbed on 17 July 2014 and pieces of wreckage were repositioned.
The numbers in brackets following the titles below correspond with their location in
Figure 30.
Vertical stabilizer (1)
The vertical stabilizer was located on the eastern side of the elevated road with the top
part of the stabilizer facing in south, south-westerly direction. The left side of the vertical
stabilizer was facing upwards. The upper part of the leading edge, the horn balance and
rudder control surface were missing. A small portion of the fuselage from the left hand
side of the aeroplane was still attached to the vertical stabilizer.
Horizontal stabilizer (2)
The horizontal stabilizer front spar was detached from its housing and was situated on
the elevated road next to the aft portion of the tail. Fragments of the right horizontal
stabilizer were still attached to the front and rear spar of the horizontal stabilizer. The
front part of the stabilizer box showed impact marks in a lateral direction.
Auxiliary Power Unit frewall and surrounding fuselage (3)
The aft section of the aeroplane which contained the Auxiliary Power Unit frewall and
surrounding fuselage near the horizontal stabilizer and vertical stabilizer was situated on
the elevated road. The top side of the tail section was facing downwards and the
horizontal and vertical stabilizer were not attached to the fuselage. Fragments of the
bottom portion of the fuselage were facing upwards. It was noted that the remainder of

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Figure 31: Overview of wreckage site 6 and the location of the wreckage pieces. (Source: Dutch Safety Board)

The numbers in brackets following the titles below correspond with their location in the
diagram above.
All large pieces of wreckage that were located in site 6 were found in this smaller region,
with the exception of the forward keel chord. Pieces of wreckage were distributed over
two sub-sites, a northern and southern site, separated by an elevated road. Photographic
evidence and satellite imagery showed that the wreckage site was disturbed on 18 July
2014 and pieces of wreckage were repositioned. The centre section of the aeroplane,
including parts of the wings and both engines were located on site 6.
Another fre occurred on the corner of the residential area on the eastern side of site 6.
Both sub-sites included vegetation, infrastructure and pieces of wreckage that showed
signs of fre damage. A wooden fence and a haystack within this area were damaged by
fre.
Forward keel chord (1)
The forward keel chord (STA888 to STA1025) was separated from the keel beam and
facing in a south-easterly direction in the southern part of site 6. The bottom side of the
forward keel chord was facing upwards and chord itself and parts of the wing to body
faring were visible. A portion of the cargo rail was still attached to internal structure of
the fuselage.
Aft keel chord and keel beam structure (2)
The keel beam was located on the elevated road on site 6 and showed signs of fre
damage. The aft keel chord was still attached to the keel beam. Both wreckage pieces
showed signs of fre damage. The bottom side of the aft keel chord was facing upwards.
Pieces of the cargo rails were identifed on the top side of the aft keel chord.

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Right hand fuselage with windows (11)
A portion of the fuselage, containing seven passenger windows and the forward door
frame of door 3R, was found underneath the keel beam and showed signs of fre damage.
Below the door frame of door 3R the Ram Air Turbine actuator was identifed with the
turbine fan missing. The fuselage was deformed extensively.
Cargo
Fragments of cargo containers were found, but due to fre damage, none were identifable.
2.12.2.7 Wreckage site 0 (black)
Pieces of wreckage of which the initial location could not be verifed due to insuffcient
photographic and video evidence are identifed as being at the so-called site 0. These
wreckage pieces may have been moved or photographed at a different location within
the geographic area. Primarily within the village of Petropavlivka, it is known that
wreckage pieces were gathered near central locations such as the town hall. Some pieces
of wreckage were collected by local residents and handed over to the Dutch Safety
Board (Figure 32). The wreckage pieces of which the initial location is uncertain are listed
below.

Figure 32: Handover of the left cockpit window frame to the Dutch Safety Board by members of the SES. This
                 is the same part as is shown in Figure 33. (Source: Dutch Safety Board)

Fuselage with the lower part of a cockpit window frame
Part of the fuselage (STA180.5 to STA228.5), originating from the left hand side of the
cockpit, was located at the side of the road, in the central region of site 2, near the village
of Petropavlivka. Residents of the village reported that the wreckage piece had been
moved to expedite the search and recovery mission. The fuselage skin was punctured
from the outside in a number of places and the outside fuselage skin was pitted and
showed traces of soot. Frames on the inner side of the fuselage had been sheared off.

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The left nose landing gear door
Photographic evidence indicated that the left nose landing gear door had been placed
in front of the village hall in Petropavlivka in site 2. Nose landing gear related components
were all identifed within or close to site 3. This included the nose landing gear itself and
the right nose landing gear door.
The rudder horn balance
A portion of the rudder horn balance was photographed for the frst time on site 4 during
the recovery mission of the Dutch Safety Board in November 2014. Prior to this mission,
no photographs of this part were available.
Lower part doorframe door 2L and surrounding fuselage
This part of the fuselage (STA655 to STA825) was collected for the Dutch Safety Board by
local residents. Its initial location is unknown. The lower part of the doorframe of door 2L
is still attached to the fuselage. Furthermore, the fuselage contains three static ports and
a light bulb.
Frame of left hand side negative pressure relief vent
This part of the fuselage contains the complete, but broken frame of the forward negative
pressure relief vent on the left hand side (STA788.5 to STA825) and is partially wrinkled.
The vent itself is missing. The initial location of this part is unknown.
Left hand fuselage with partial text ‘Malaysia’
A part of the fuselage with letters from the operator’s name, located between STA846
and STA1035 were recovered. Parts of some of the window frames were attached. The
fuselage skin was torn and many stringers on the rear of the fuselage skin were missing.
The initial location of this part is unknown.
Left hand fuselage cockpit with pitot tube
This part of the fuselage (STA180.5 to STA212.5) contains the left pitot tube and the left
ice detector. Impact damage is visible on the upper part and the sheared edges are
jagged.
Right hand fuselage with partial text ‘Malaysia’
This part of the fuselage contains the top part of the text ‘Malaysia’ on the right hand
side of the aeroplane (STA846 to STA1032) and was identifed in site 1. All edges show
clear shears. Halfway, the fuselage is partially sheared from top to bottom. Formers and
stringers were no longer attached to the fuselage.
2.12.2.8 Other relevant objects recovered
During the recovery of the wreckage, a number of parts that did not originate from the
aeroplane and its content were found in the wreckage area. The parts found appeared to
be connected with a surface-to-air missile. The parts that were suspected to be related
to a surface-to-air missile were transported to the Gilze-Rijen Air Force Base in the same
way as the aeroplane wreckage was. On arrival the parts underwent the same examination
as the pieces of aeroplane wreckage. Subsequently the parts that were suspected to be
related to a surface-to-air missile were subjected to forensic examination, as part of the
criminal investigation (see Section 2.16). In order to not risk impeding the criminal

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1. Rear nozzle of the missile’s engine. (Source: NBAAI)     Missile engine nozzle as found in Ukraine. (Source:
                                                                                     Dutch Safety Board/Dutch National Police)

2. Stabilizing fns. (Source: NBAAI)                                   Part of stabilizing fn during identifcation at
                                                                                     Gilze-Rijen Air Force Base. (Source: Dutch Safety
                                                                                     Board/Dutch National Police)

3. Data cables as mounted under the stabilizingfns.           Data cable during identifcation at Gilze-Rijen Air
(Source: NBAAI)                                                            Force Base. (Source: Dutch Safety Board/Dutch
                                                                                     National Police)
----------
Figure 36: Weapon parts recovered. The parts are shown with sample photos showing their origin on a
                9M38M1 surface-to-air missile. Numbers correspond with numbers in Figure 35

In addition, several fragments were recovered from the wreckage of the cockpit and from
the left wing tip that did not belong to the aeroplane or to its contents. Two of those
fragments are described in paragraph 2.16.3 and shown in Figure 40.

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The human remains, including the DNA material, were taken to the Netherlands for
identifcation. Fragmentation, fre and decomposition explain why little or no human
remains were found for some of the passengers.
As part of the identifcation and forensic investigation, before the body bags containing
human remains were opened in Hilversum, the Netherlands and the remains were visually
examined, an X-ray or CT scan was made of all of the body bags received. The scans
revealed foreign objects both in and on some of the human remains. Most of the foreign
objects were (later) identifed as:
• personal belongings (medical implants, rings, coins, telephones, zips on clothing, etc.);
• objects originating from the aeroplane (such as seat belts, fragments of seats, parts
of the fuselage), or
• objects that stem from the ground (stones, coal particles, etc).
Objects that did not have a readily identifable source, were removed and sent to the
Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) for further examination. Once the metal fragments
had been removed, the human remains were released for identifcation. The identifcation
of the human remains, both of the victims with the Dutch nationality and of the victims
with other nationalities, was carried out by a team consisting of 120 forensic specialists
from the National Forensic Investigations Team (LTFO) from the Netherlands and 80
forensic specialists from Australia, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, Indonesia,
Malaysia and New Zealand.
The relatives were informed by the authorities of their respective countries about the
identifcation process of their family members and all related actions. Once they had
been identifed, the human remains were handed over to the relatives.
2.13.2 Crew autopsy
Following a request from the public prosecutor four bodies, that were suspected to be
those of crew members, were selected for further investigation. These were provided to
NFI for a detailed autopsy and toxological examination.
The fndings were as follows:
• First Offcer Team A: The First Offcer was found with a four-point harness on and had
an epaulette worn by a First Offcer. The post-mortem examination revealed that this
crew member sustained multiple fractures of the skull, spine, pelvis, ribs, arms and
legs. In this body, an aeroplane part identifed as belonging to the right hand side of
the aeroplane, was found during the post-mortem examination. During the body scan
of the First Offcer’s body, over 120 objects (mostly metal fragments) were detected.
The majority of the fragments were found in left side of the upper torso.
• Purser: More than 100 objects were detected. The scatter pattern that the fragments
formed was uniform and comparable with the pattern of the First Offcer.
• Captain Team B (non-operating flight crew): Three metal fragments were detected by
means of X-ray examination. Two of which were identifed as surgical clips. The third
fragment was found not to be present inside the body.

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The bodies in the fuselage section forward of the wings and in the fuselage section aft of
the wings were largely intact. Radiographic examination and CT scans of these bodies
showed multiple fractures and/or crushing. It proved impossible to determine when
these injuries were sustained. Because of the severity of the injuries resulting from the
impact on the ground, any injury sustained earlier could not be distinguished. How many
passengers had already died before the impact on the ground could not be determined.
The centre section of the aeroplane was severely damaged and burnt. This was the
section of the aeroplane that landed upside down and was consumed by fre after
impacting the ground. The majority of the human remains from this section of the
aeroplane were fragmented and/or burnt. The injuries of most of the passengers from
this section of the aeroplane could not be assessed with the CT images.
The scans showed metal fragments in the bodies of a large number of occupants.
Research showed that these fragments included medical implants, jewellery and objects
that originated from within the aeroplane.
In view of their positions in the aeroplane, the crew members (other than those who were
seated in the cockpit) are expected to have suffered the same fate as the passengers.

2.14 Fire

No indication was found of the ignition or proliferation of an on-board fre prior to the
aeroplane breaking up in flight.
Wreckage site 6 contained evidence of a large fre that consumed much of the centre
section of the aeroplane. The two main landing gear legs and the centre wing box
showed fre damage. In addition, the engines showed signs of partial exposure to a fre.
A second, smaller, fre was found to have burned near the location of the auxiliary power
unit frewall at wreckage site 5.

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2.15.2 Data carriers
No photographs or (text) messages from occupants were found on personal data carriers
such as mobile phones that were taken after the impact of high-energy objects. In total,
407 personal data carriers were found. The condition of 54% of the data carriers found
was adequate for the NFI to further examine the data stored. The other 46% was too
badly damaged to be examined.

2.16 Tests and research

During the examination of the wreckage parts at Gilze-Rijen Air Force Base and the
forensic examinations in Hilversum fragments were safeguarded and further examined
by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI). This work is described in the following
paragraphs.
2.16.1 Forensic examination
In the course of the investigation, hundreds of fragments were found in the wreckage of
the aeroplane, the remains of the crew members and passengers. Some of the fragments
were found to be aeroplane parts, some were identifed as personal belongings and
other fragments originated from the ground.
A distinct group was identifed as small pieces of metal that were suspected to be highenergy objects, or parts of them. These fragments were extracted from the Captain from
Team A, the First Offcer from Team A, the Purser, who was present in the cockpit at the
time of the crash, and from the cockpit wreckage (Figure 37). These fragments were
found to be ferrous.