Malaysian jet crash: Pattern of debris 'will give clues'

A Malaysian airliner carrying 295 people has crashed in east Ukraine on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, amid allegations it was shot down.

Commercial pilot Robert Mark, who edits Aviation International News Safety magazine, said the way plane debris had fallen would give clues to the cause of the crash.

He said he understood recent MH17 flights had not flown as far into northern Ukraine as the flight which crashed on Thursday.

"The flight today tracked very, very much further north into the Ukraine than the other previous flights... there were MH17 versions that were 300 miles south of where this one was."