One device, the flight data recorder, captures information about the planes airspeed, altitude, direction up or down, pilot actions, and performance of all key systems. Sources China Eastern Black Box Points to Intentional Nosedive (WSJ) But just over an hour into its journey, China Eastern Flight MU5735 pitched over into a sudden near-vertical dive. 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. China Eastern noted the unlikeliness of anyone breaching the cockpit, as an emergency code was not broadcast. The project aims to modernise instrument arrival and departure procedures by adapting them to area navigation and performance-based navigation requirements. Now she believes she's being penalised, NRL live: Parramatta clashes with Melbourne Storm as 2023 season kicks off, New Easter Island Moai statue discovered in volcano crater, Easton Wood backs AFL's player opt-out clause for gambling advertising, Inquest into 75-year-old's flood death hears of desperate last moments, Thirty-four balls and just 29 minutes: Here's how Australia's latest Test batting collapse unfolded. Enaire says the scheme known FlightGlobal is the global aviation communitys primary source of news, data, insight, knowledge and expertise. At 15:56, firefighters from nearby Tangbu arrived, and at 16:40, firefighters from outside Wuzhou were dispatched from Guilin, Beihai, Hezhou, Laibin and Hechi. 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. In other words, you have to make the airplane go straight down.. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. The revelation has led US officials involved in the investigation to shift their focus to the actions of a pilot, but its also possible that someone else on the plane stormed into the cockpit and caused the crash, sources told the newspaper. 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. 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. 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. Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for investigators to determine the cause as soon as possible and to ensure "absolute" aviation safety. Even the size of the debris field is important - when wreckage is spread over a very large area, it could indicate the plane was breaking up before hitting the ground. "The NTSB doesn't comment on investigations led by other authorities. The accident happened on November 13 last year, leaving one dead. In mid April, China Eastern returned some 737-800s to service, data from flight tracking sites and Cirium shows. Any unofficial speculation may interfere with the accident investigation and affect the real progress of the global air transport industry, China Eastern said in a statement. Boeing has expressed dismay with Chinas Big Three carriers placing an order for 292 A320neo family jets on 1 July. China Airlines Flight 006 (callsign "Dynasty 006") was a daily non-stop flight from Taipei to Los Angeles International Airport. China Eastern responded immediately to the crash by grounding its 737-800s. The crash occurred after a 25-minute flight that FlightAware, an air traffic database, tracked from the Grand Canyon near Kingman, Arizona, to the Boulder City airport. What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation? US investigators, however, do not have all information available to their Chinese counterparts, one source told the newspaper. 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. After this week's crash, China Eastern grounded all of its 737-800s, China's Transport Ministry said. If I have a major flight-control problem, I am going to deal with that [first].. 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. BEIJING Even after the finding of the two "black boxes," it may be a long time before investigators figure out what caused a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 to nosedive into the. The FAA declined to comment about its role, deferring to the NTSB, which is the US representative to the investigation. What happened? Some frames of that grainy video appear to show parts of the airplane being shed in the dive. EDGE: A new global force in aerospace and defence, FlightGlobal Guide to Business Aviation Training and Safety 2021, Airline Business special: CEOs to watch in 2021, Boeing takes issue with massive Chinese Airbus order, Indonesian air travel recovering, but faces big challenges: whitepaper, China says no official information about China Eastern crash released, FAA examining close call at Boston involving Learjet and JetBlue E190, Inside the effort to standardise 100% drop-in sustainable aviation fuel, Madrid reconfigures airspace to simplify arrivals and departures. The China Eastern jet crash that killed 132 people when the craft slammed into a mountainside appears to have been an intentional act, according to a report Tuesday. Still, no Chinese airlines have re-started Max flights. [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. CAAC has yet to issue a response to the Wall Street Journal report. Rescue workers planned to use drones in the search for the planes black boxes, which should contain information from instruments and sound from the cockpit. The FAA did not ground the planes. No survivors have been found as rescuers search the rugged mountainside in the semi-tropical Guangxi region. [38] The remains of all 132 aircraft occupants were positively identified by 29 March. 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 . Sign in to continue reading, The Wall Street Journal said flight recorder data showed human input behind the nosedive and resultant crash, By Plane & Pilot Updated May 18, 2022 Save Article. 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. [48][29] On 29 March 2022, the NTSB announced that China had granted visas to the agency and the technical advisors from Boeing, engine manufacturer CFM and the FAA. [5], The aircraft departed Kunming Changshui International Airport for Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 13:15 CST (05:15 UTC)[5] and was scheduled to land at 15:05 (07:05 UTC). Shell Aviation: What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation? [57][58] Soon after the accident, it was suggested that catastrophic failure of the tailplane (for example, a stabilizer problem) and sabotage (such as a pilot intentionally crashing) were two of the possibilities regarding the cause of the crash. The flight recorder supports this theory, as it shows the controls being pushed forward to initiate a steep descent, close to a 90-degree descent angle. 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. This was especially so after security cam video of the plane in a steep nosedive emerged. The jet was a Boeing 737-800, a model long viewed as a reliable workhorse in the industry. China Eastern flight MU5735 plunged from cruising altitude into the mountains of Guangxi on March 21 in China's first fatal air crash since 2010. Nobody can come up with a mechanical failure mode that would make the airplane behave the way it did.. The aircraft had been in service since 2015. The search goes on for clues from the crashed China Eastern Airlines jet. The steepness of the slope made the positioning of heavy equipment difficult. On 19 February 1985, the Boeing 747SP operating the flight was involved in an aircraft upset accident, following the failure of the No. The plane has been flying since 1998 and has an excellent safety record, said Hassan Shahidi, president of the Flight Safety Foundation. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. Plane and Pilot builds on more than 50 years of serving pilots and owners of aircraft with the goal of empowering our readers to improve their knowledge and enthusiasm for aviation. [70], News concerning the crash was heavily censored in China. Although aviation safety experts caution against drawing conclusions based on incomplete information, they see a limited number of possible causes. That theory had been circulating virtually since the narrowbody came down, but Chinas release of an initial accident report on 20 April included no details to dispel it. The tragic crash caused a mountain fire and no survivors were found by the . While Indonesias air travel market is recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, several challenges confront the countrys airlines. 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. Twenty-six people were killed and at least 85 injured after two trains collided head-on in Greece late on Tuesday night, while the cause of the deadliest rail crash in Greece in decades remained . Drones were being used to search the fragments of wreckage that were scattered across both sides of the mountain into which the plane crashed, state media reported. An effort is underway to power aircraft entirely with synthetic and sustainably derived jet fuel. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news. What we know about the plane The China Eastern Airlines plane was a Boeing 737-800, the most popular version of Boeing's jets now in service and the workhorse of many. This led the investigation toward the pilot or the possibility of a cockpit breach. [47] Representatives from CFM International, Boeing, and the FAA were assigned as technical advisers in the probe. [1][2][3][4] It is the third deadliest air crash in China after China Southern Airlines Flight 3943 and China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303, the deadliest air accident in China Eastern Airlines' history, and the deadliest plane crash in 2022. 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. Guide to Business Aviation Training and Safety 2022. [26] Liu Ning, secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in Guangxi, visited the crash site and ordered an "all-out" search and rescue operation. According to US officials familiar with the matter, data from the black box suggests that someone in the cockpit intentionally caused the plane to crash, by pushing the . [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. 167 Recovery workers paused for a moment of silence on March 27 for victims of the. However, neither China's authorities nor Boeing released any technical recommendations since the event. 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. That says the Chinese are convinced that the 737-800, as a fleet type, does not have a problem.. Authorities have yet to determine what caused China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 to crash with no apparent survivors. It crashed into the side of a mountain in a remote, forested area outside the city of Wuzhou. Continental Details Engines Woes, and Its Not Just Cirrus Planes. One video showed the plane nose-diving into the ground. Indonesian investigators said they found insufficient evidence to determine the cause. The 737-800 (NG - New Generation) was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members according to sources when it dramatically lost altitude . China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, to Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province. It simply nosed over and came down damn near vertically, says Goglia. They have been involved in 22 accidents that damaged the planes beyond repair and killed 612 people. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 0. [34] By evening, 117 out of 650 dispatched rescuers were nearby and headed to the site from three directions. 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). 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. Early data showed the airliner plunged from 29,000 feet to 8,000 feet, leveled off and then went into a freefall. Accept. The crash caused a fire on the mountains, and the jet involved in the accident was a Boeing 737 aircraft. US government sources have told the Wall Street Journal that the crash of a Boeing 737-800 operated by China Eastern Airlines was intentional. 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. Shell Aviation: What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation? Brutal gym attack with 20kg weight caught on CCTV, Ash Barty explains why shes bowing out at the top of the tennis world, Jelena Dokic wows in new campaign for iconic Australian fashion brand, Mazda's largest SUV here in August with hybrid-beating efficiency, Aussie pub trivia question leaves internet stumped, Aussie designer behind reversible swimwear collection launches unique activewear to glowing reviews, Aussie drivers new number plate sparks outraged response: Nonsense, Woolies recalls popular meat over contamination fears in one state, Flight MU5735 was at 8800 metres on Monday afternoon. Closed-circuit video purporting showing the final seconds of the flight depicts an aircraft, seemingly largely intact, in a vertical dive. A majority of flight services between Beijing and Shanghai were cancelled. 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. [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. But other Chinese airlines continued operating the type. Investigators have so far not found any. China Eastern officials said no evidence has been found that could confirm whether the aircraft had problems prior to the accident. 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. Articles and social media posts that asked more detailed questions were deleted by censors. We've received your submission. 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