Height of Ukraine No-Fly Zone Faces Scrutiny

The Wall Street Journal ^ | July 17, 2014 | Jack Nicas and Robert Wall

[McGruff]

Investigators into Thursday's crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 will scrutinize a decision by Ukrainian officials this week to set the height of their no-fly zone over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine to 32,000 feet—when many ground-to-air missiles can easily surpass 40,000 feet. Flight 17 was flying around 33,000 feet over the restricted airspace before it crashed, officials said. After the crash, Ukrainian officials expanded the no-fly zone to all airspace above the region. Investigators are going to want "to hear how they determined that the risk was acceptable. [Ukrainian officials] should have done a formal risk assessment," said air-safety consultant John Cox, a former union crash investigator and safety official. Still, Mr. Cox cautioned, it is understandable that a government would believe a 32,000-foot-restriction would be safe.

[1rudeboy]

Frankly, you’d be stupid if the Kremlin didn’t pay you in dollars.

[lodi90]

[caww]

Yes, saw it...also very interesting how it was brought together..

BTW thanks for all your pings......my time on FR is often late so I miss what’s been posted that is of interest to me. So I do appreciate being pinged very much.

CW