China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 was a scheduled passenger flight from Kunming to Guangzhou in China. On 21 March 2022, the Boeing 737-89P operating the flight crashed in Guangxi, China.

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735
B-1791, the aircraft involved in the crash, photographed in 2015
Incident summary
Date21 March 2022 (2022-03-21)
SummaryCrashed into terrain; possible intentional crash, under investigation.
PlaceShentangbiao, Molang village, Teng County, Wuzhou, Guangxi, China[1]
23°17′10″N 111°07′30″E / 23.286°N 111.125°E / 23.286; 111.125Coordinates: 23°17′10″N 111°07′30″E / 23.286°N 111.125°E / 23.286; 111.125
Passengers123[2]
Crew9[2]
Fatalities132
Survivors0
Aircraft typeBoeing 737-89P
Airline/userChina Eastern Yunnan Airlines
RegistrationB-1791
Flew fromKunming Changshui International Airport[3]
Flying toGuangzhou Baiyun International Airport

The flight left Kunming Changshui International Airport, Kunming at 13:15 local time (05:15 UTC).[4] It was going to Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou. At 14:22, the plane began to show signs of crashing. The wreckage of the plane was found near Teng County, Guangxi.[5] The aircraft was carrying 132 people, including 123 passengers and 9 crew members.[6][7][8][9]

Crash

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), contact with the aircraft was lost over the city of Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. At 2:20pm CST, while preparing to descend into Guangzhou, the aircraft entered a sharp descent.[10] It fell 20,000 feet, to 7,400 feet.[11] The plane gained 1,200 feet before crashing into a hillside.[11]

The accident was caught by security camera, shown in a near vertical dive without a vertical stabilizer, and with a white trail behind it as it descended, before disappearing out of view. A piece of the aircraft was found miles away from the final crash site of the aircraft, hinting to a midair breakup.

The plane left a 65-foot deep hole in a surrounding forest.[8]

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 Media

References

  1. "广西消防:发现客机残骸碎片,尚未发现遇难者遗体" [Guangxi Fire Department: Fragments of passenger plane wreckage were found, but the remains of the victims have not yet been found]. j.eastday.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named caac.
  3. "MU5735搭载133人广西藤县发生事故,昆明长水机场不知情:2点57分已到达" [MU5735 carrying 133 people had an accident in Teng County, Guangxi, Kunming Changshui Airport was unaware: arrived at 2:57]. time-weekly.com (in Chinese). 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  4. "China Eastern Airlines jet with 133 on board crashes in Guangxi". The Week magazine. March 21, 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  5. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  6. "架搭载133人的客机在广西藤县发生事故,伤亡情况未明" [A passenger plane carrying 133 people was involved in an accident in Teng County, Guangxi, the casualties are unknown] (in Chinese). CCTV News. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  7. News, A. B. C. "No abnormalities found in China plane crash: Investigators". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-05-11. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. 8.0 8.1 "U.S. experts analyzing black boxes from China Eastern Boeing 737 that nose-dived into mountainside killing 132". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  9. News, A. B. C. "Black box analyzed for pilots' actions in China Eastern Airlines crash". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-05-11. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. "Why the China Eastern Crash Is Such a Shock to the Country". Time. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Bradsher, Keith (2022-04-04). "A Flight Over China in Clear Skies, Followed by a Nosedive" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/business/china-eastern-boeing-crash.html. Retrieved 2022-05-11.