FAA Bans U.S. Flagged Flights Over Eastern Ukraine 'Until Further Notice'

The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) recovered from Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 which was shot down Thursday over Ukraine have reportedly been "sent to Moscow for investigation."

The Daily Beast reports that while officials in Ukraine and Russia, as well as pro-Russian separatists all concur that the airplane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile, no one has claimed or accepted responsibility for the act. There were 295 people on board the airplane when it was shot down in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border. There was reportedly one American on board.

Analysts say the missile was most likely a Buk anti-aircraft missile called an SA-17 Grizzly by NATO. Moscow-based analyst Alexander Golts told the paper that any of the factions involved could have shot down the plane.

Thursday night, the FAA issued a NOTAM prohibiting U.S. flight operations until further notice, in the airspace over eastern Ukraine, due to recent events and the potential for continued hazardous activities. The restricted area includes the entire Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk flight information regions (FIRs).

This action expands a prohibition of U.S. flight operations issued by the FAA in April, over the Crimean region of Ukraine and adjacent areas of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The FAA says no scheduled U.S. airlines are currently flying routes through this airspace.

Other nations have issued similar notices.

(Malaysian Airlines 777 pictured in file photo. Not incident airplane)

FMI: www.faa.gov