BREAKING...MALAYSIAN AIRLINES CRASHES IN UKRAINE

Malaysia Airlines Passenger Plane Goes Down Over Ukraine Near Russian Border

Jul 17, 2014, 1:37 PM ET

By COLLEEN CURRY 

COLLEEN CURRYMore From Colleen »

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via GOOD MORNING AMERICAA Malaysia Airlines passenger plane went down today after the airline said it had "lost contact" with one of its flights over Ukraine near the Russian border.

The Boeing 777 plane -- Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lampur with 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board -- had its "last known position was over Ukraine airspace," the airline said.

The plane had left Amsterdam at 12:15 p.m. (local time) and was estimated to arrive in Kuala Lampur International Airport on Friday at 6:10 a.m. (local time), according to Malaysia Airlines.

Flight radar shows the plane was lost somewhere on the eastern border of Ukraine.

Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters

PHOTO: A man works at putting out a fire at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014.

Photos showed a large plume of black smoke near where the plane was believed to have gone down. The fate of the passengers aboard the plane remains unknown. It is not known if any Americans were on board at the time.

Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters

PHOTO: A general view shows the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko confirmed that the plane "disappeared from radar screens."

"In recent days, this is the third tragic accident after the Russian territory were downed aircraft AN-26 and SU-25 Armed Forces of Ukraine. We do not exclude that this aircraft was also shot down, and stress that the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not commit any action to defeat the purposes of the air," he added in a statement.

A statement from the Foreign Ministry in Kiev said, "A large passenger aircraft Boeing 777, performing a flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur, was shot down in the eastern part of Ukraine. According to the General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces, the airplane was shot down by the Russian Buk missile system as the liner was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Ukraine has no long-range air defense missile systems in this area. The plane was shot down, because the Russian air defense systems was affording protection to Russian mercenaries and terrorists in this area. Ukraine will present the evidence of Russian military involvement into the Boeing crash."

Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters

PHOTO: An Emergencies Ministry member works at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014.

The White House said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, near the end of this morning's call with President Obama, noted the reports about a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border.

EMPR

PHOTO: Malaysia Airlines says it has lost contact with an airliner over Ukrainian airspace.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a tweet, "On reports of tragic Malaysian plane crash: at this time US do not have any conformation of cause, individuals on plane or any addl details"

EMPR

PHOTO: Malaysia Airlines says it has lost contact with an airliner over Ukrainian airspace.

This is the second Malaysia Air plane to be involved in a crash this year.

On March 8, Malaysia Air Flight MH370 vanished with 239 people on board after it took off from Kuala Lampur bound for Beijing.

Malaysian officials said the plane disappeared somewhere in the Southern Indian Ocean, but no wreckage has ever been recovered.