One Black Box Recovered from Eastern China Accident

Recovery crews are still poring over the wreckage of China Eastern Flight MU 5735, looking for clues as to what caused the jet to go down. There were 123 passengers and nine crew members aboard the aircraft. No survivors have been found. The accident is the worst in Chinese aviation in 30 years.

The Boeing 737-800 is equipped with two flight recorders: one records flight data the other is a cockpit voice recorder. According to a spokesperson from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the recovered box is heavily damaged, and it is not known if it is a flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder. 

There were no distress calls from the aircraft prior to the accident.

Additionally, the CAAC has ordered a two-week safety inspection of the industry. According to a release from the CAAC, the safety inspection will scrutinize air traffic management bureaus, companies involved in civil aviation transport and general aviation, and service providers for the aviation industry. China's state-run news agency reported the purpose of the standdown is to ensure safety in all aspects of aviation.

Immediately following the accident, China Eastern announced the grounding of its remaining 737-800s as a precaution. The air carrier is the second largest in China.

The aircraft was enroute from Kunming, the capital city of  Yunnan province in southwest China to Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong near Hong Kong. 

Chinese aviation officials say the aircraft was about an hour into the 90-minute flight at a cruise altitude of 29,100 feet when it went into a steep dive. According to data gleaned from FlightRadar24, the aircraft momentarily leveled off at 8,000 feet then entered a second dive from which it did not recover. 

The ADS-B readout showed the aircraft in a vertical speed of 31,000 fpm down. Security cameras in the area caught images of the jet in a near vertical attitude before it went down in a mountainous rural area. The aircraft exploded on impact, starting a forest fire.

Nearly 1,000 firefighters and 100 members of a local militia were dispatched to the site in hopes of performing a rescue mission. Chinese aviation officials have not yet declared the 132 persons aboard the aircraft dead.

Photographs of the crash site depict a large crater and heavily fragmented and charred wreckage. Recovery teams have found some personal items such as wallets, ID cards, scraps of clothing, and parts of cell phones. Investigators note it is possible that the other black box was buried by impact forces.

Because the Boeing 737-800 was manufactured in the U.S., the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board—along with Boeing and CFM, the aircraft’s engine manufacturer—are part of the investigation.