In 2014, over the course of nine months, 699 passengers and crew members vanished on three flights from airlines based in Malaysia.   On March 8, Malaysia Airlines Flight #MH370 carrying 239 passengers and crew members vanished from radars on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Many are aware of the loss of this flight. Stories still circulate as wreckage continues to be found in parts of the world.   Other flights that may not have gotten as much coverage internationally, are Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that vanished over Ukrainian airspace on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. 298 people were aboard this July 19th flight. Several months later, on December 28, on a trip from Indonesia to Singapore, Air Asia flight QZ8501 carrying 162 people vanished over the Java Sea.   Although, there is not yet a conclusion to Flight MH370, we have rapidly approached closure on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and Asia Air flight QZ8501.   MH17 Flight MH17 vanished from radars while on a flight over Ukrainian airspace. At the time, those who sought Ukrainian independence from Russia and pro-Russian rebels were in steep fighting in the area. Although aware of the conflict and volatile atmosphere, the Ukrainian government, airlines, and other countries did not recognize the inherent risks of flying over the conflict zone and thereby kept the airspace open.   The Dutch Safety Board investigated and discovered that flight MH17 was downed by a Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile that was fired from eastern Ukraine. The missile detonated outside the jet’s cockpit. The plan broke up in midair. Debris was scattered over a 20-square mile area.   Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov from Russia, as well as Leonid Kharchenko from the Ukraine have been charged in the attack on the plane. Girkin, Dubinsky, and Pulatov are all intelligence officials in the Russian government. Kharchenko commanded a combat unit in Eastern Ukraine.   It is not believed the four suspects actually aimed the missile to shoot down the plane, however, investigators believe they were instrumental in obtaining the missile that shot down the plane. The Dutch investigation team seeks to try the suspects under Dutch law.   Russian and Ukrainian constitutions do not allow for the extradition of nationals. However, the trial for the four, in absentia, will be held in the Netherlands on March 9, 2020.   QZ8501 AirAsia flight QZ8501, vanished on December 28th on a trip from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people aboard. The investigation of the Indonesia National Transportation Safety Committee found that the rudder control system on the plane failed. Maintenance records showed increasing problems with the rudder on that type of plane and the rudder failure on QZ8501 was just another in a line of almost two dozen failures in one year alone. Briefly, the rudder is positioned at the rear of the stabilizer which is at the tail wing section at the back of the plane. The rudder controls the position of the nose of the aircraft.   Investigators discovered the co-pilot, Emmanuel Plesel, reacted inappropriately in the emergency situation. The miscommunication between he and the pilot added to the difficulties.   Airlines are insured in the event of crashes and compensation is considered on a case-by-case basis. AirAsia boss Tony Fernandez assured the victims’ families they would be looked after.   Most of the lower-income Chinese and Indonesian bereaved families received compensation after settling their claims with the airline.   Two of the passengers on AirAsia flight QZ8501 were Mr. Man and his two-year old daughter. Mr. Man was a prominent executive in the power generation industry.   In 2017, Mei Chi Man, widow of Mr. Man, battled with AirAsia to get the compensation for the loss of her husband and two-year old daughter. Mrs. Man believes the victims should be compensated to the tune of the economic loss suffered because the loved one is no longer alive to provide for the family.   Mrs. Man must decide if she is to take the compensation promised by the airlines or get into an extended legal battle that could take eight to ten years to resolve.   Another widow created by the QZ8501 crash is Annie Wong who was the widow of Sii Chung Hei. Mrs. Wong has written a book titled On Grief & Hope. The book shares how she, her two daughters, and a son got on the journey to recovery after their grief. She hopes that their experiences toward recovery can help others. Proceeds from the sales of the book will be donated to children with autism and special needs   James Healy-Pratt, an executive at the law firm Stewarts, that represents the families of the British passengers on board MH17 and MH370 stated that by 2017, settlements had been reached swiftly, fairly and remain confidential.   As I said earlier, there is still much to be resolved about Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. We’ll provide you with updated details in a future episode. We are closer to closure on the tragedy of flight MH17 with the upcoming trial of the three Russians and one Ukrainian who had a vital part in the shooting down of the airplane. The AirAsia flight QZ8501 tragedy remains personally unresolved for some. However, it is heartwarming to see that one of the victim’s family members have transformed their grief into a tool to help others.   I truly appreciate you spending your valuable time with me. If there is a story you’d like us to follow up on, reach out to us at [email protected] or at www.thewindup.news. Leave a review for us at radio public, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you listen to this podcast. Have a wonderful week and see you next time. Bye.