What happened?
Flight MU5735 from Kunming was cruising at about 29,000 feet (8,839 meters) and was about 100 miles from its destination in Guangzhou, Southern China, when it suddenly went into a steep descent. Over the next 1 minute and 35 seconds the plane lost altitude in a near vertical dive until it slammed into a hillside. All 132 people on board were believed to have been killed, although the deaths have not been formally verified.
What are the possible scenarios?
At this juncture it’s too early to predict what caused the crash. Possibilities range from an equipment malfunction, to a weather-related event, to pilot illness or suicide, to a terrorist attack of some description. Nothing has been ruled out.
What will investigators be looking for?
The primary focus will be on scouring the wreckage to finding the plane’s so-called black boxes — the flight data and cockpit recorders, which should provide the biggest clues as to the cause of the nosedive. One particular detail of note is that the aircraft’s dive appeared to have halted for about 10 seconds and it climbed briefly at about 8,000 feet before resuming its descent, according to data from Flightradar24.
What else do we know?
Shocking footage captured by a mining company’s surveillance camera appeared to show the flight’s final chilling seconds. Its authenticity could not be independently verified. Separately, video posted on social media purporting to be of the crash site showed a wooded area on fire.
What have China Eastern and Boeing said?
The airline announced that it would ground all its Boeing 737-800 jets from Tuesday, and expressed condolences to passengers and crew on board. Boeing said in a message to all employees it was “deeply saddened” by the crash and had been in “close communication with customer and regulatory authorities since the accident.”
Who’s investigating the crash?
China’s Vice Premier Liu He has been tasked with overseeing the investigation, which will be carried out by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Authorities will work alongside a senior investigator from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and representatives from Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
