When the conversation stopped...
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PUTRAJAYA: The pilot of the downed MH17 was still communicating with Dnipropetrovsk air traffic control (ATC) centre when their conversation ended abruptly at 1.19pm (eastern Ukraine local time).
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pic) said the data downloaded from the cockpit voice recorder clearly showed the conversation stopped abruptly, adding that the conversation was about flight details.
“They were talking about the (flying) height. It was just a normal conversation between the ATC and pilot. There was no other sound,” he told reporters after revealing the preliminary report on the MH17 tragedy here yesterday.
Liow was replying to a question on whether the cockpit voice recorder had recorded any unusual sounds before the plane went down.
He said the preliminary report stated that the last transmission from the crew of MH17 was “ROMEO NOVEMBER DELTA, MALAYSIAN, one seven”.
“There was nothing after that, no other sound. The ATC made a radio transmission to flight MH17, which began at 1.20pm and ended five seconds later.
“The crew did not respond to the repeated transmissions,” he said.
Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, who was also at the press conference, said ROMEO NOVEMBER DELTA was a code for a flight waypoint.
Liow added that the Government would explain the report to the families of Malaysian crews and passengers.
