Sources said Chinese investigators also haven't flagged any mechanical issues. Data from a black box recovered at the crash site near the city of Wuzhou in the southern province of Guangxi indicated that controls in the cockpit led the plane into its deadly dive, sources told the newspaper. That aircraft came down in Sumatra at a rate that neared 39,000ft per minute, according to Indonesias accident report. Faced with mounting pressure, officials eventually provided information on the maintenance history of the plane, the pilots' flight experience, and weather conditions at the time of the crash. B-1791, the aircraft involved in the accident, in 2018, Aviation accidents and incidents in China, The aircraft's base model is the Boeing 737800. [61][62] News reports published by ABC News on the same day concurred with the Wall Street Journal's report of the investigating officials in the US government declaring that the aircraft had been deliberately put into a vertical dive by a person on the flight deck, also citing flight recorder data showing that the landing gear and flaps had evidently not been engaged or deployed during the aircraft's descent which would indicate the pilots attempting an emergency descent or landing. The airline also insisted a possible cockpit intrusion wasnt plausible, citing information from a March 25 news conference during which Chinese authorities said no emergency alert had been sent beforehand, according to the report. "The NTSB doesn't comment on investigations led by other authorities. Narrowbody was delivered to carrier from Boeings production line in 2015. It crashed into the side of a mountain in a remote, forested area outside the city of Wuzhou. But Cox warns against placing too much confidence in the descent rates as derived from the ADS-B numbers; in particular he highlights a sequence in the data which appears to show the aircraft stopping its dive at7,425ft, and then climbing, to 8,600ft, before pitching down again and continuing its descent. No foreigners were on board the lost flight, the Foreign Ministry said, citing a preliminary review. [2][3][4], On 17 May, The Wall Street Journal reported a source from the US government, from officials involved in the investigation, as saying that the plane had been intentionally crashed, based on an analysis of data from the aircraft recorders. Theoretically, I can make that case, Cox says. On Monday afternoon, the plane was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou when it lost contact around 2:15 p.m. and crashed in the city of Wuzhou around 2:30 p.m., the Civil Aviation Administration of. Boeing has expressed dismay with Chinas Big Three carriers placing an order for 292 A320neo family jets on 1 July. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is in the midst of a three-day visit to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping . Flight controls were pushed to put the plane into a dive. In April, the CAAC issued a brief statement about the investigation, stating little more than that work to recover and analyse data from the recorders was underway, and that the devices had suffered severe damage. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in China from Kunming to Guangzhou. The Boeing 737-800 passenger jet was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21 when it plunged into a mountainous area in Guangxi, China. It briefly leveled off and climbed from 7,400ft (2,300m) to 8,600ft (2,600m), but then plunged downwards again, reaching a final recorded altitude of 3,225ft (983m) less than two minutes after the beginning of the descent, with a maximum descent rate of nearly 31,000 feet (9,400m) per minute. [40], Wet weather and the challenging accessibility of the crash site hampered the recovery process. The crash of a Boeing 737-800 passenger jet in China's southwest started a fire big enough to be seen from space and forced rescuers to search a rugged, remote mountainside. The crash site is surrounded on three sides by mountains and is accessible only onfoot and by motorcycle on a steep dirt road in the semitropical Guangxi region, famed for some of China's most spectacular scenery. [29][38] The crash site was concentrated within a 30-metre (100ft) radius where most of the wreck was found. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said all information on the investigation will come from their counterparts in the Civil Aviation Administration of China, but regulators and Boeing have not flagged any mechanical issues. If the China Eastern crash is confirmed as the latest such suicide, it will mean that deaths due to intentional acts have exceeded all other causes since the start of 2021. Already a member? The officials who spoke to ABC News point to the plane's flaps not being engaged and landing gear not put down. The reason the passenger plane plunged out of the sky is still unknown. [32] Firefighters were dispatched by the Wuzhou Fire and Rescue Department at 15:05 CST. If I have a major flight-control problem, I am going to deal with that [first].. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. According to Aviation Safety Network, China's last fatal jet accident was in 2010, when 44 of 96 people on board were killed when an Embraer E-190 regional jet flown by Henan Airlines crashed on. The Eastern Airlines jet crashed into a mountain after a steep dive. One, the way the plane nosedived had experts scratching their heads as to how the plane got into the. Boeing NG, or Next Generation, 737s, including the 737-800, have flown more than 116 million flights. [47] United States Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg said on 23 March that Chinese authorities had invited the NTSB to take part in the investigation. Goglia says an explosion or rapid decompression would likely have caused the jet to break apart. There's very little known about the crash of China Eastern flight 5735. Notice the Chinese returned the airplane to service, says Cox. Breaking News: A story in the Wall Street Journal reports that the crash of the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 that went down in March in a remote area of Southeast China killing all 132 aboard was caused by human input. The crash of a Boeing 737-800 passenger jet in Chinas southwest started a fire big enough to be seen from space and forced rescuers to search a rugged, remote mountainside. In each case, flight-control software pushed the nose down shortly after takeoff, and pilots could not regain control. Rescuers have combed mountainous terrain in the search for wreckage from the downed Chinese jet. The Wall Street Journal is reporting an update regarding the crash of China Eastern flight MU5735, which was scheduled to operate from Kunming (KMG) to Guangzhou (CAN). Given that the aircraft was produced by an American company, the National Transport Safety Board is involved in the investigation. Cancellation rates in China were the highest of 2022. Plane and Pilot expands upon the vast base of knowledge and experience from aviations most reputable influencers to inspire, educate, entertain and inform. [33], Rescue crews initially had difficulty accessing the site because of a forest fire which was extinguished by 17:25. Flight data from the doomed plane suggests someone in the cockpit pushed the Boeing 737-800 into a near-vertical descent while cruising at a high altitude in late March, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with US officials preliminary assessment. Flight tracking data, moreover, showed the plane leveled off briefly before again diving sharply until it impacted terrain at very high speed, all of which are consistent with human action and possible a fight for control of the plane between two people. Let's investigate further. The first black box, the cockpit voice recorder, was found on March 23, while the flight data recorder was found on March 27. Heres what we know. Chinese authorities are not pointing to issues regarding mechanical or flight control problems. ABC News' Mark Osborne contributed to this report. [39] Rescue workers found a 1.3-metre-long (4ft 3in) wreckage fragment, believed to be part of the aircraft, 10 kilometres (6mi) from the main site. This website uses cookies to improve your experience and for ads personalisation. The China Eastern Airlines plane crash in March 2022 shook the world for various reasons. Nobody can come up with a mechanical failure mode that would make the airplane behave the way it did, Goglia adds. In 2019, the US Federal Aviation Administration ordered inspections of 38 Boeing 737 NG planes, including 737-800s, because of cracks found in a part that connects the wings to the fuselage. No survivors were found at the crash site, and the planes black box was recovered several feet underground. Black box data has been recovered and Chinese authorities are investigating. [45], American agencies responded as representatives of the country where the aircraft was manufactured. Breaking News: A story in the Wall Street Journal reports that the crash of the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 that went down in March in a remote area of Southeast China killing all 132 aboard was caused by human input. Moreover, the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC), which is leading the probe with US assistance, has yet to issue any safety directives regarding any issues with the 737-800. Boulder City is a 30-minute . But other Chinese airlines continued operating the type. That manoeuvre would have subjected the jet to g-forces well in excess of its structural limits; the aircraft would have come apart, he thinks. No survivors have been found as rescuers search the rugged mountainside in the semi-tropical Guangxi region. But Chinese searchers did indeed locate both the flight data and cockpit voice recorders shortly after the crash. One of the black boxes has been found, local media reports. BEIJING (AP) The crash of a Boeing 737-800 passenger jet in China's southwest started a fire big enough to be seen from space and forced rescuers to search a rugged, remote mountainside. [46] The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said a senior official had been appointed as its representative to the inquiry. Enaire says the scheme known FlightGlobal is the global aviation communitys primary source of news, data, insight, knowledge and expertise. The US is cautious against acting in any way that might push China closer to Russia or encourage Chinese support for Moscows invasion of Ukraine, say observers. Others showed "loss of contact", "unknown," or a blanked-out status. Authorities have yet to determine what caused China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 to crash with no apparent survivors. Cox also cites two similar 737 crashes caused by a rudder servo valve problem: USAir flight 427 (a 737-300) in 1994, and United Airlines flight 585 (a 737-200) in 1991. It ignited a fire big enough to be seen on NASA satellite images before firefighters could extinguish it. May 17, 2022, 1:06 PM. Guide to Business Aviation Training and Safety 2022. However, investigators have not verified the ADS-B data. Goglia says the China Eastern accident appears amazingly similar to the EgyptAir and SilkAir crashes. China Eastern flight 5735 crashed outside the city of Wuzhou in the Guangxi region while flying from Kunming, the capital of the south-western province of Yunnan, to Guangzhou, an industrial centre not far from Hong Kong on China's south-eastern coast. [23] It is not equipped with the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) used on the newer 737 MAX that led to two fatal accidents in 2018 and 2019 and the subsequent grounding of the fleet. On 21 March 2022, the Boeing 737-89P aircraft operating the service descended steeply mid-flight and struck the ground at high speed in Teng County, Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, killing all 123 passengers and 9 crew members. The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what it calls another close call involving two aircraft coming way too close, this time at BostonLogonInternational airport. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/chinese-authorities-confirm-no-survivors-after-plane-crash/100931378, Get breaking news alerts directly to your phone with our app, Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article, China has taken a 'dramatic' lead in critical technologies used for military power, report says, Rajwinder Singh charged with murder over the death of Toyah Cordingley, India takes lead after Australia makes early inroads, MP Monique Ryan and chief of staff Sally Rugg fail to settle dispute after four-week mediation, Former minister takes 'absolute responsibility' for Robodebt, admits defending scheme despite knowing it could be unlawful, As flood evacuees begin arriving in Darwin, 'hundreds' remain displaced and stranded, 'Sickening, callous and brazen': Sydney man dies in hail of bullets in front of 12yo son, Mining giant offers help to rebuild flood-damaged town in lieu of payment for radioactive capsule search, How Maggie Dent's smart watch helped her avoid a potential stroke, and her message for women everywhere, Footage shows plane nosediving before crash in China, authorities report 'no survivors' found among wreckage, China Eastern Airlines passenger jet crashes with 132 people on board, Woman dies following police pursuit of erratic driver in Melbourne's west, Watch Australia's economic challenges unfold in five graphs, Goanna stuck atop Mildura radio tower offers poor reception to its rescuers, Major tour operator pulls pin on Alice Springs due to 'external challenges' facing region, Evelyn worked three jobs when she was in her 20s to build up her super. China Eastern responded immediately to the crash by grounding its 737-800s. "The NTSB has assisted the Civil Aviation Administration of China with their investigation of the China Eastern 737 crash," the agency said in a statement. The health and financial status of the pilots were in good shape, the airline told the Wall Street Journal. With the cause of the crash unknown, some Chinese social media users turned to conspiracy theories and suspected the involvement of the United States in the accident. Both the NTSB and Boeing also declined to comment, deferring to the CAAC. Boeing has delivered more than 5100 of them over the past 24 years, and China is the biggest market, with nearly 1200, according to aviation consultant IBA. Airlines were allowed to resume using the 737 Max after Boeing redesigned the system in a process overseen by regulators from the United States, Europe, China and the Middle East. Black box data recovered from a China Eastern flight that crashed in March suggests someone in the cockpit intentionally downed the plane, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a preliminary . Two days after the China Eastern Airlines flight plunged from the sky, there are more questions than answers. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which is leading the investigation, has not yet said what it thinks caused the crash. What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation? [53] The two flight recorders were sent to a facility in Washington, D.C. for analysis. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news. "Our thoughts are with the passengers and crew of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU 5735," a Boeing . They have been involved in 22 accidents that damaged the planes beyond repair and killed 612 people. After officials initially failed to answer basic questions about the plane and its pilots, they were accused by online commentators of "rainbow farts," an idiom for excessive praise. Since then, the airline's safety record has drastically. The Boeing 737-800 jet hurtled to the ground at high speed - thousands of feet. Given the crash sites remoteness and inaccessibility, combined with the destructive high-velocity impact, the search for the flight recorders was beyond challenging. The near-vertical descent of the plane, they believe, would've required intentional force. Graphic News Ltd 2023. Mr Zhu said the severe damage to the aircraft, which was carrying 132 people, would make it difficult to establish why the plane fell 30,000 feet. What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation? Ice accumulation on the wings caused the plane to lose its lift, causing the crash. [5][10][11], Some information channels such as Kunming Changshui International Airport and Umetrip temporarily showed that flight had arrived due to not registering the flight's loss of contact. Boeing 737 Max jets, which first flew in 2017, were grounded after crashes in 2018 and 2019 . The plane that crashed on Monday was a Boeing 737-800, not the Boeing 737 Max, a newer model that was temporarily grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. It does sound as though the airplane was sound. Details about the crash remain sparse, but the information available seems to suggest either that the jet suffered some type of incredibly unusual flight-control problem, or that one of its pilots put the 737 into a dive. A sudden human input to the plane's controls appears to have caused a China Eastern flight to plunge nearly vertically into the mountains of Southern China in March, killing all 132 passengers . 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