No conclusion on 'rare' accident of ill-fated China Eastern plane
A wing wreckage of the ill-fated China Eastern plane which crashed in March 2022.
Investigation is still ongoing because the accident involving the ill-fated China Eastern flight MU5735 that crashed in south China in March 2022 was very complicated and "extremely rare," according to the latest investigation report released on Monday.
Additional cause analysis and experimental verification will be carried out and any progress on the investigation will be publicized in a timely manner, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said.
"Up to now, the technical investigation team has conducted on-site investigation, data inspection, personnel interviews and experimental analysis," the CAAC informed.
The Boeing 737-800 jetliner was en route from Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province to Guangzhou in southern Guangdong Province when it crashed in Tengxian County of Wuzhou City in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on March 21.
Flight MU5735 had 123 passengers onboard along with nine crew – three pilots, five flight attendants and a security guard. All 132 people onboard died.
Rescuers found the two black box recorders within a week after the accident and identified the DNA of all victims within eight days.
According to the CAAC report, the aircraft took off from Kunming Changshui International Airport at 1:16pm, but deviated from the cruise altitude of 8,900 meters and dropped rapidly 64 minutes after takeoff.
The investigation team has conducted detailed inspections of the wreckage to determine the possible status of the plane's key control components before the crash.
Experiments have been conducted on more than 100 important pieces of wreckage. The air traffic control services, airport ground support and security check processes have been investigated along with the information on passengers, luggage, cargo and dangerous goods.
The final status of the plane has been simulated with both flight simulators and real aircraft, the CAAC said.
A previous report by CAAC noted that the pilots, flight attendants and repairers were qualified, with the aircraft boasting an airworthiness certificate and latest maintenance.
No malfunction, dangerous cargo or inclement weather was reported. The navigation and monitoring system along the flying route was also operating normally.
