What’s new: China’s aviation regulator said the investigation is still underway to determine what caused China Eastern Airlines Corp. flight MU5735 to plunge into a hillside a year ago, citing the “complexity” of the disaster.
“Due to the complexity and rarity of this accident, the investigation is still ongoing,” the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Monday in a report on progress of the probe ahead of the one-year anniversary. The crash killed 132 people.
Over the past year, investigators have conducted a detailed examination of the wreckage, determined the possible working condition of key control components prior to the crash and probed the qualifications and abilities of the flight crew, flight operation conditions, airworthiness maintenance of the aircraft, and management of the airline. Investigators also looked into air traffic control services, airport ground support, and security checks and loading of passengers, luggage, cargo and dangerous goods, according to the report
The investigation team will continue to carry out cause analysis and experimental verification based on the preliminary work and will release relevant information in a timely manner based on the progress of the investigation, the CAAC said.
Background: Scheduled to fly from Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21, 2022, the Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft plunged out of the sky in a nosedive before striking a hillside in Guangxi, about 100 miles from its destination.
Surveillance footage captured by a mining company near the crash site showed the plane diving at high speed almost perpendicular to the ground before it disappeared over a ridge covered with dense vegetation.
In a preliminary report released a month after the crash, the CAAC said crew and maintenance staff involved all met qualification requirements. The two black boxes from the aircraft were badly damaged in the crash and sent to the U.S. for analysis.
China Eastern resumed flights using the same type of plane after a nearly one-month suspension.
Under the Chicago Convention, governments in charge of an investigation should publish a final report within 12 months of the incident. If a final report can’t be delivered, the country should issue a temporary statement on the anniversary of the accident each year, detailing progress of the investigation.
Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bob.simison@caixin.com)
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