China Eastern 737 crash: NTSB data suggests deliberate act in the cockpit

More than four years after a China Eastern Boeing 737-800 plunged from cruising altitude and crashed into a mountainside in southern China, newly released data points to a deliberate act in the cockpit.

The information comes from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which released flight data recorder findings in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed earlier this year.

What the data shows

According to the NTSB report, while the aircraft was cruising at 29,000 feet, the fuel switches for both engines were moved from the run position to the cutoff position. Engine speeds dropped immediately after.

On a Boeing 737, the fuel switches are physical controls that regulate fuel flow to the engines. A pilot must pull the switch up before moving it from run to cutoff. Both switches were shut off almost simultaneously, and on this aircraft type, both can be moved at once, even with one hand.

Almost immediately after the fuel cutoff, the autopilot was disconnected. The control column was then pulled hard left and pushed forward, sending the aircraft into an inverted barrel roll and a steep dive.

The flight data recorder stopped recording at 26,000 feet when the plane’s generators lost power. The cockpit voice recorder, operating on battery backup, continued recording until impact. 

US investigators recovered four audio files from the damaged recorder and sent them to China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), though the NTSB said it did not retain copies.

The 2022 crash

China Eastern flight MU5735 was traveling from Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG) to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) on March 21, 2022, when it lost contact with air traffic control over the city of Wuzhou.The Boeing 737-800 crashed in a remote area of Tengxian County in the Guangxi region, killing all 132 people on board, including 123 passengers and nine crew members.

It was China’s deadliest air disaster in decades.

China has not explained what happened

The CAAC has led the investigation but has refused to release a final report. 

In 2024, on the second anniversary of the crash, the agency issued a statement saying no problems were found with the aircraft, crew, or weather conditions before the crash.No faults or abnormalities were detected in the plane’s systems, structures, or engines prior to takeoff. Radio communications and control commands showed no irregularities, and there were no reports of dangerous weather along the flight path.

Despite these findings, the CAAC has not addressed what caused the aircraft to nosedive.

When asked about the delay in releasing a final report, the CAAC said “disclosure may endanger national security and social stability.” The agency has previously denied that the crash was intentional.

Earlier reports pointed to deliberate action

The Wall Street Journal reported in May 2022 that data from the flight recorder indicated human input sent the plane into its fatal dive.

“The plane did what it was told to do by someone in the cockpit,” the Journal quoted a person familiar with American officials’ preliminary assessment as saying.

American investigators were reportedly focusing on the actions of a pilot, though it was also considered possible that someone else could have broken into the cockpit and deliberately caused the crash.

Questions about the crew

Chinese authorities have refused to release details about who was in the cockpit at the time the engines were shut off. However, some information about the crew has emerged.

The captain was a 32-year-old with 6,700 flight hours. He had reportedly just had a baby and was doing well in his career.

The first officer was 59 years old with 31,800 flight hours, an unusually high number for someone still serving as a first officer on a narrow body jet. He had reportedly been demoted from captain at some point and had issues with simulator training.

Public criticism over lack of transparency

China has faced criticism for failing to release a full report on the crash. Some have questioned why investigators have not disclosed what was captured on the black boxes.

The CAAC said in its preliminary report that the flight and cabin crew held valid licenses and had enough rest before the flight. All crew members passed health checks on the day of departure

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