Since then, the airline's safety record has drastically. One video showed the plane nose-diving into the ground. It does sound as though the airplane was sound. The report suggests that US officials believe one of the aircrafts pilots could have caused the disaster, but are also considering the possibility that somebody else access the cockpit and caused the crash. Also recovered, 10kms away from the crash site, is a piece of wreckage indicating mid-air break up, which could possibly support the theory of a rear bulkhead failure. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Data recovered from black box suggests human input caused crash, not mechanical problem, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Local authorities dispatched 450 firefighters to the scene of the accident. The China Eastern Airlines plane crash that killed 132 people is believed to have been caused by an intentional act, according to U.S. officials who spoke to ABC News. [44], The CAAC enabled an emergency task force and dispatched a team to the crash site. The pilot who was killed in a Nevada crash last week had long . China Airlines Flight 006 (callsign "Dynasty 006") was a daily non-stop flight from Taipei to Los Angeles International Airport. Spanish air navigation service Enaire has started implementing an air traffic optimisation project at Madrid Barajas airport, including independent approaches to its parallel runways. Rescuers work at the site of the plane crash of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 on March 21, 2022, in Tengxian County, Wuzhou City, China. The Chinese passenger plane crashed in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on March 21, killing all 132 people on board including the nine crew members. Many smaller pieces of wreckage were scattered in the surrounding area. That software is not on 737-800s. 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. The cockpit voice recorder captures sounds including conversations and background engine noise during the flight. Hopefully a transparent investigation will occur with a clear explanation of how the aircraft rapidly descended, shortly regained control, and then lost control again. [56] On 24 March, a piece of the jet was discovered about 10km (6mi) from the crash site, initially giving weight to the theory of a mid-air breakup. They have completed an initial investigative report about the crash, but have not released its full contents. 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. Before Monday, the last fatal crash of a Chinese airliner occurred in August 2010, when an Embraer ERJ 190-100 operated by Henan Airlines hit the ground short of the runway in the northeastern . Pieces of the crashed plane's wreckage found at the crash site in Tengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang. [49], The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was found on 23 March with exterior damage although the internal storage device was believed to be relatively intact. 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. An initial readout of the China Eastern planes flight data recorder in April suggested there were deliberate pilot inputs prior to the crash, aviation trade publication Leeham News and Analysis reported. Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for investigators to determine the cause as soon as possible and to ensure "absolute" aviation safety. The China Eastern Airlines plane crash in March 2022 shook the world for various reasons. Back in March, we blogged about the crash of China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735, which crashed on March 21 during a flight from Kunming to Guangzhou, killing all 132 people on board. The NTSB also attributed the rapid descent and crash of 737-300 operated by Singaporean carrier SilkAir in December 1997 to intentional pilot action specifically, sustained manual nose-down flight-control inputs, according to a letter from the investigation agency. 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. Watch the video above for more on the aftermath of the crash It simply nosed over and came down damn near vertically, says Goglia. Shell Aviation: What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation? 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. China Eastern Boeing 737 nosedive was intentional. Flight data from the doomed . Boeing has expressed dismay with Chinas Big Three carriers placing an order for 292 A320neo family jets on 1 July. Reticence to comment is typical during crash investigations, but observers say US officials are handling all China affairs with particular delicacy due to recent global events. If you continue on this website you must agree to our Website Terms and our Privacy Policy Authorities have yet to determine what caused China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 to crash with no apparent survivors. The crash caused a fire on the mountains, and the jet involved in the accident was a Boeing 737 aircraft. The crash has caused shock in China, where President Xi Jinping has ordered an immediate investigation to determine the cause. [63], Multiple reports also mentioned that in the moments just before and during the descent, there were no distress or mayday calls from the cockpit to air traffic control nor any answers to the attempts from air traffic control and nearby aircraft to make contact with the aircraft. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NTSB and Boeing are assisting with Chinas investigation. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. It crashed into the side of a mountain in a remote, forested area outside the city of Wuzhou. Black box data has been recovered and Chinese authorities are investigating. The Boeing 737-800 jet hurtled to the ground at high speed - thousands of feet. [9] The aircraft crashed in the mountainous regions of Teng County causing a fire in nearby vegetation. Graphic shows location of Eastern China crash and the altitude profile of the flight. The jet was a Boeing 737-800, a model long viewed as a reliable workhorse in the industry. Investigators looking into the crash are examining whether it was due to intentional action on the flight deck, with no evidence found of a technical malfunction, according to Reuters, which cited two people briefed on the matter. Multiple reports say that the airplane was deliberately crashed, but the official investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is ongoing. [21][22], The 737-800 has a solid safety record, with 11 previous fatal accidents (the first in September 2006) out of more than 7,000 planes delivered since 1997. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies, Findings suggest one of the pilots of the plane may have caused the nosedive, or someone broke into the cockpit and did so. Two days after the China Eastern Airlines flight plunged from the sky, there are more questions than answers. [50][51] The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was retrieved on 26 March,[52] and on 27 March, the flight data recorder (FDR) was recovered. This website uses cookies to improve your experience and for ads personalisation. We provide news, data, analytics and advisory services to connect the aviation community globally and help organisations shape their business strategies, identify new opportunities and make better decisions faster. Boeing has expressed dismay with Chinas Big Three carriers placing an order for 292 A320neo family jets on 1 July. Enaire says the scheme known FlightGlobal is the global aviation communitys primary source of news, data, insight, knowledge and expertise. Flight controls were pushed to put the plane into a dive. An effort is underway to power aircraft entirely with synthetic and sustainably derived jet fuel. There should have been some sort of a call, he says. All information related to that investigation will be released by the CAAC.". Let's investigate further. 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. The 737-800, part of the 737NG family, is among the most common airliners in operation, with Boeing having delivered more than 5,100 of the variant since 1998, according to the airframers data. [8] At 14:22 (06:22 UTC), while approaching its top of descent into Guangzhou, the aircraft entered a sudden steep descent from 29,100 feet (8,900m). Parts of the China Eastern jet that went down in the country's first commercial crash since 2010. 2 min read. Under international air law, Chinese authorities are expected to submit an early accident investigation report to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Wednesday. But other Chinese airlines continued operating the type. [73], In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) placed all Boeing 737 aircraft flown by Indian carriers under "enhanced surveillance." China claims that no official information about the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 crash had been released to media, though it stopped short of denying claims that the crash was intentional. [27] Most of the airline's 737-800s eventually returned to service in April 2022. . But other Chinese airlines continued operating the type. Goglia notes that the China Eastern pilots made no contact with air traffic control. But Chinese searchers did indeed locate both the flight data and cockpit voice recorders shortly after the crash. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news. The steep, rough terrain and the huge size of the debris field were complicating the search for the black boxes thathold the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, CCTV and the official Xinhua News Agency said. However, investigators have not verified the ADS-B data. Welcome to flightglobal.com. The investigation is the latest probe into safety on a Boeing jet after a faulty flight control system led to multiple fatal crashes aboard the Boeing 737 MAX, the successor to the 737-800. [53] The two flight recorders were sent to a facility in Washington, D.C. for analysis. Mysteries Of Flight: The Curious Case Of Pan Am Flight 914, Fond Farewell to a Titan: The Antonov An-225, King Air Crashes After Takeoff from Little Rock: All Five Aboard Die. [69] Nearly 89 percent of all China Eastern flights were cancelled on 22 March. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. The plane did what it was told to do by someone in the cockpit, one source close to the matter told the Wall Street Journal. Fire rages after Boeing 737 jet 'crashes into mountainside' in China, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, China outlines Xi Jinpings plan for world peace as top diplomat travels to Moscow, How North Koreas nuclear tests could be radiating thousands, Much-loved giant panda leaves Tokyo zoo where it was born as China recalls debt, Intentional dive caused China plane crash that killed 132: US findings, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off orders over 15 with this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. 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. In 2004, a buildup of ice on the wings of a China Eastern plane flying from Baotou in Inner Mongolia caused it to crash, killing 55. They include the October 1999 crash into the Atlantic Ocean of EgyptAir flight 990, a 767-300ER that plummeted at a descent rate reaching 39,000ft per minute. 0. Of those, nearly 4,300 remain in service, according to Cirium. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. His family said he had taken a job at Guardian Flight last year. The outpouring of grief following the crash of a Boeing 737-800 jet near Wuzhou in the Guangxi region flooded Chinese social media. The cause of the China Eastern 737-800 NG crash remains a mystery. Boeing 747 Freighters will maintain value: Atlas Air CEO, Final Boeing 747 departs Everett for its new home, Cape Air Cessna suffers nose-gear collapse in Chicago, Paramount prepares to integrate weapons with Mwari, Airbus boosted defence and space revenues in 2022, EDGE invests in Israeli UAV ATM specialist, How award-winning aviation mechanic Marissa Estebanez proves her capability, How Dassault is preparing flagship Falcon 10X as a flying penthouse, How the US Air Forces secretive B-21 Raider broke cover, Upcoming webinar: Disruptive Propulsion Technologies for large commercial aircraft, Spotlight on airline sustainability strategies, You can learn more about the cookies we use here, Airline Business Covid-19 recovery tracker. The plane stopped transmitting data 96 seconds after it started to fall. Editor's Note: This story was updated to include an official statement from the NTSB. Investigators searching for clues into the crash of China Eastern flight MU 5735 will look at any damage and subsequent repairs performed on the rear bulkhead as a possible cause. The driver survived with injuries and later gave an interview where he claimed he never touched an accelerator pedal during the incident.. Model Y driver said he wanted to brake and park the car, but the EV . 4 engine, while cruising at 41,000 ft (12,500 m). On 19 February 1985, the Boeing 747SP operating the flight was involved in an aircraft upset accident, following the failure of the No. 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. Could it have been an autopilot-induced trim runaway? It had been buried 1.5 metres (5ft) deep in the soil and appeared slightly dented but was intact. At the time, it was too early to draw any conclusions, as the investigations had just begun and the flight data recorders had not yet been recovered. Shell Aviation: What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation? Welcome to flightglobal.com. [54] Concurrently, on April 1, a team of NTSB investigators left the United States for China. State media and Chinese regulators gave no indication the pilot reported trouble or other information that might shed light on the cause of the disaster. [33], Rescue crews initially had difficulty accessing the site because of a forest fire which was extinguished by 17:25. The incident occurred near Wuzhou in Teng County, Southern China, at about 2:20 pm, less than an hour before flight MU5735 was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou. The aircraft had been in service since 2015. The plane plunged to 2200m before regaining about 360m, then dived again. 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