May 18, 2022
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China Eastern Airlines crash search and rescue scene
The Wall Street Journal and ABC quoted anonymous U.S. officials as saying that someone “deliberately” caused the crash of China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735.
According to the report, black box data showed that commands entered into the controls sent the plane into a lethal dive. A preliminary assessment by U.S. officials said investigators have so far not found any mechanical or technical faults with the crashed airliner.
On March 21 this year, China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 crashed in the mountainous area of Guangxi on its way from Kunming to Guangzhou, killing all 132 people on board. The plane that crashed was a Boeing 737-800.
Chinese state media quoted the Civil Aviation Administration of China as saying that the U.S. investigators involved in the “3.21” Eastern Airlines accident said they “did not release relevant investigation information to any media.”
The BBC reached out to China Eastern Airlines for comment on the report on Wednesday (May 18), but has not received a response.
A Boeing spokesman said in response to the BBC: “Under the rules governing air crash investigations… only investigative authorities can comment on open-air accident investigations.” Boeing previously said it was assisting Chinese authorities in investigating the accident and was working with the U.S. state Keep in touch with the Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
What did the US media report say?
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that a “deliberate” act may have caused the crash. “The plane complied with what someone in the cockpit told it to do,” the report quoted a source familiar with the initial assessment of the crash by U.S. officials as saying.
Data from a “black box” recovered from the crash site showed that commands entered into the controls sent the plane into a nearly vertical descent, the report said.
ABC News also quoted U.S. officials as reporting that the crash may have been caused by a “deliberate act.”
Archyde.com also reported that two people familiar with the situation said there had been no evidence of mechanical failure so far, and investigators were examining whether it was intentional behavior in the cockpit.
How does China respond to US media reports?
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Rescue workers observe silence at the scene
Chinese state media released a response from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday following the U.S. media published the report.
The Global Times, part of the Communist Party’s People’s Daily, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China checked with the National Transportation Safety Board involved in the accident investigators, who “clearly stated that they did not release relevant investigation information to any media.”
The report also said that in accordance with the relevant requirements of the International Civil Aviation Convention, the investigation department invited the US National Transportation Safety Board to participate in the investigation as the investigator of the country where the aircraft was designed and manufactured.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement that the investigation into the China Eastern Airlines crash is currently underway and will release the progress of the accident investigation and relevant information in a timely manner.
Previously, the Civil Aviation Administration of China denied the claim that the co-pilot was locked as the cause of the crash, saying it was a rumor that “seriously misleads the public’s perception.”
China Eastern also stated that the three pilots were “in good health, with complete flight experience, in line with the requirements of the bureau, and their families were in harmony.”
