U.S. NTSB assisting in China crash flight data recorder review

FILE PHOTO: Plane debris is seen at the site where a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Kunming to Guangzhou crashed, in Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China March 21, 2022. Picture taken March 21, 2022. cnsphoto via REUTERS/File Photo

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed Tuesday it is assisting Chinese investigators with the review of the flight data recorder in a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 that crashed March 21 killing all 132 onboard.

Reuters first reported Friday that NTSB was assisting the Civil Aviation Administration of China with the download of the cockpit voice recorder at the U.S. lab in Washington. NTSB had repeatedly declined to answer questions about the status of the flight data recorder until Tuesday when it confirmed assistance with that recorder as well.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)