LONDON (AP) – “What exactly are they trying to hide?” President Barack Obama asked Monday as he demanded that Ukrainian rebels give investigators access to the wreckage of the downed jetliner.
The answer is: potentially a lot.
Aviation and defense experts say the victims’ bodies could contain missile shrapnel. Chemical residue on the plane could confirm the type of weapon that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. And the location of the wreckage could yield information on how the attack unfolded.
The black boxes could offer vital clues as well. The cockpit voice recorder would record the bang of a missile. The data recorders, which register altitude and position, would be able to tie that information to the timing of a known missile launch in the area.
“You can effectively backtrack and give a relatively high degree of confidence in the location where that missile took off from,” said a Manchester, England-based aviation industry consultant, Chris Yates. “If that location happens to be in rebel-held territory, which we all suspect it is, that would be the first point where you could point the finger of blame.”