Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was destroyed in an instant when the cockpit and other parts of the fuselage were peppered by "a large number of high-energy objects," causing the plane to break apart over eastern Ukraine before anyone could raise an alarm, according to a preliminary report on the disaster which was released on Tuesday.
The report by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB), does not speculate on the origin or nature of objects, noting its investigators have not been able to visit the crash site because their security could not be guaranteed in the midst of the conflict between Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatist forces.
The findings are consistent with US and Ukrainian assertions the Boeing 777, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was brought down by an anti-aircraft missile, which they say was provided by Russia. However, some air-to-air missiles also have fragmentation warheads which spray small shrapnel when they detonate close to a target.