The peculiar story of how fearless Graham Phillips found what he thinks might be a good clue in the MH17 investigation, and his fruitless efforts to get investigators to take an interest.

This article originally appeared at The Truth Speaker

Even if your experience of aircraft investigations extends only to watching Aircrash Investigation, you know one thing. Aircrash investigators always want to collect every single part of the plane they possibly can – that’s the only way they can come to the correct result.

Youtube sensation and gonzo reporter, Graham Phillips

That’s certainly what I thought as I started work on the MH17 site over 9 months ago. Countless pieces found and photographed since, I’ve been collaborating with the official investigation since February of this year, sending them all my reports and relevant photos / videos from site.

On the site extensively over July, a lot came up – from human bones to sizeable parts of flight MH17 – the Dutch-led investigation, based in Amsterdam, were kept apprised of each finding, as I worked alongsidejournalist Patrick Lancaster, on the MH17 site shortly after the tragedy, on July 17th, 2014.

I’d always adhered to a policy of never removing parts from the site,unlike Dutch journalist who Jeroen Akkermans who decided to start removing parts from site, rather writing to investigators with photos / videos, and location details. However, when out on

July 22nd questioning local people in the several villages located on the MH17 site, two of them replied that parts of MH17 (pictured) had fallen on their homes, they hadn’t known what to do with them, and thus the pieces of the downed liner were still in their possession.

Both willingly volunteered, and fetched the pieces. One of them, an Air Flow unit (right), was particularly interesting, sheared with signs of

explosion all over. I immediately contacted the investigation, with photos – all these emails are as written, with individual names removed, as the investigators asked me to do from the outset –

Hello ….,

Patrick and myself were around the villages MH17 came down in today.

2 homeowners we spoke to had pieces which had fallen on their houses, and they simply didn’t know what to do with them.

Please find photos of them attached. The Air Flow looks like an important part, with visible signs of damage.

I have them with me, and am keen to get them to you as soon as possible.

Best wishes, Graham

The next day I heard back –

Hi Graham

Again thanks for your information. I passed threw the mail to ………@mindef.nl

You had already contact with him

I responded to that the next day –

Thank you,,,,,

Obviously I’m keen to get these parts to you as soon as possible. I’ll be in Russia next week, so let me know what you’d like to do.

Very best, Graham And the next I have the parts with me, and will be in Russia soon – I’m willing to bring them to you myself, in Amsterdam, if required. Let me know, best, Graham The next day, I heard back – Hello Graham, Thank you very much for your email. We appreciate your help with our efforts to support the efforts of our repatriation mission. Currently we have arrangements with the mayors of Hrabove, Rosznypne en Petropavlivka and fire chief in Torres. They collect and hold all items that are found, i.e. human remains, personal belongings and wreckage of the aircraft until we recover them. So it would be helpful if you could hand them over to any of the above. Thank you again,

By this time, I was already on the way out of Donbass, almost at the border, travelling to Russia, and had a choice to make. Both the parts were in my possession, and Patrick was able to take them back to Donbass with him, as I went on. However, I simply wasn’t willing to let the Air Flow, which could clearly yield important information, just go to any one of several undefined places, casually mentioned. I replied –

Hello ….,

I certainly find your reply surprising. Of the two parts, one, the Air Flow, is key. I was writing to you for several days before

receiving a reply. And the reply that I

should give the parts to any one of a number of people in a number of places hardly seems adequate.

As air investigators, particularly with the results of your investigation due soon, and preliminary reports already leaked, you should want all the parts at once. I even offered to deliver these parts to you myself. As it is, I’ve never heard of any agreement with those people you mention, to repatriate parts to you. Actually the men working on site to collect parts they presumed would be collected by the OSCE, in December, were similarly unaware of that.

It’s certainly not something the locals are aware of, if it exists, as you say. In any case, the vague instruction to place an important part in one of several places, showing no real interest in where, nor when you would collect it, is hardly what I’d expect of a proper, thorough airline investigation which will deliver justice for the 298 victims of flight MH17.

I’ve tried to believe in your investigation, despite all evidence and reports that the investigation is either corrupt or incompetent.

However, i do find the lack of interest in a potential key part to be beyond the pale.