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China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 crash
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Workers search through debris at the China Eastern flight crash site in Tengxian County in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in March. Photo: Xinhua via AP

China Eastern crash data suggests plane sent into intentional dive, US media report says

  • Information recovered from the black box suggests someone in the cockpit input controls that sent the aircraft into its deadly descent, according to insiders
  • The Boeing 737-800 plane was en route from Kunming to Guangzhou in March when it plummeted from the sky, killing all 132 passengers and crew
Agencies

US investigators believe someone on board deliberately crashed a China Eastern flight in March, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, in what was China’s deadliest air disaster in decades.

Data recovered from the black box suggests that someone in the cockpit input controls that sent the plane into its deadly descent, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with US officials’ preliminary assessment of the incident.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was en route from Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21 when it plummeted from the sky, killing all 132 passengers and crew.

Black box flight data recorders recovered from the site were sent to the United States for analysis.

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All 132 people on board China Eastern Air crash confirmed dead as second black box recovered

All 132 people on board China Eastern Air crash confirmed dead as second black box recovered

US officials involved in the investigation have focused on the actions of a pilot, though it is possible someone else on the plane could have broken into the cockpit and caused the crash, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The officials believe their conclusion is backed up by the fact that Chinese investigators have so far not indicated any problems with the aircraft or flight controls that could have caused the crash and would need to be addressed in future flights, the newspaper said.

China’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) said in April that according to a report from Boeing, investigators found no evidence of “anything abnormal”.

Flight MU5735: US agency helps Chinese officials decipher black box clues

In a statement, the CAAC said staff had met safety requirements before take-off, the plane was not carrying dangerous goods and did not appear to have run into inclement weather, though the agency said a full investigation could take years.

Both the US National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing declined to comment on the investigation

Boeing shares added to their gains for the day, climbing as much as 6.2 per cent in New York. If the report is correct, it would indicate the aeroplane maker does not bear primary responsibility for the crash.

Bloomberg and Agence France-Presse

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