China Eastern 2022 Air Crash Investigation: Engines and Autopilot Manually Shut Off
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released raw black box data for the China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 crash, indicating that both engine fuel cut-off switches were activated and a pilot's control stick was forcefully pushed down. This disclosure comes amidst China's continued failure to release a final investigation report, raising questions about transparency.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 13:28
- 🔍 Collected: May 2, 2026 at 13:31 (3 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 2, 2026 at 13:44 (12 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Taipei, May 2nd) According to German media reports, after the China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 crash in March 2022, China has yet to release its final investigation report. Earlier this year, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), responding to an anonymous request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), provided raw black box data. This data reveals that the fuel cut-off switches for both engines were set to off, and a pilot's control stick was violently pushed downwards.
Deutsche Welle Chinese reported on May 1st that after the MU5735 crash, the NTSB had assisted in the investigation and reading of black box data. Earlier this year, an anonymous person submitted a request to the NTSB under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for public government information. On April 29, the NTSB responded, providing raw data from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR, one of the two black boxes), emails between the NTSB and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and a data download report from July 2022.
The raw FDR data indicates that 23 seconds before the black box lost power, the fuel cut-off switches for both the left and right engines of the Boeing 737 passenger plane were set to the off position. This operation is intended to stop fuel supply to the engines. Shortly after, the aircraft's autopilot was also disengaged.
Furthermore, 20 seconds before power loss, a control stick on one side of the cockpit was violently pushed downwards, and the control wheel also showed abnormal movements. However, the raw data does not specify which of the two pilots performed the violent push. During the uncontrolled descent, there were intense and continuous inputs to the control stick, indicating active manipulation by someone in the cockpit throughout the fall.
The black box data also revealed that as the plane dove, the ailerons controlling the roll attitude were constantly active, but the input parameters showed drastic changes. This seems to suggest that another pilot was attempting to save the aircraft.
The report states that the leaked data is consistent with two radar data points published by the aviation tracking website Flightradar24 on the day of the accident. At that time, China Eastern Flight MU5735 began a rapid dive from its original cruising altitude of 29,000 feet (approximately 8,840 meters), falling to 7,425 feet (approximately 2,263 meters) within 72 seconds. The aircraft then briefly re-climbed for about 10 seconds but immediately plunged rapidly again.
23 seconds after the engines' fuel was cut off, the black box stopped recording. The report suggests this was likely because the complete shutdown of the engines led to a power loss in the aircraft, and the black box did not have a backup battery.
Emails between the NTSB and the Civil Aviation Administration of China indicate that this data was transferred to the Chinese authorities as early as the summer of 2022.
According to international civil aviation regulations, after the MU5735 crash, China requested assistance from the country of the aircraft manufacturer (the U.S.) to interpret the black box data. Two months after the accident, the U.S. media outlet Wall Street Journal cited informed sources claiming that preliminary U.S. investigation indicated "someone in the cockpit deliberately crashed the plane." However, the Civil Aviation Administration of China responded at the time, stating that rumors of an intentional crash "seriously misled the public" and "interfered with accident investigation work."
This crash, which resulted in 132 fatalities, is China's deadliest civil aviation accident in nearly 30 years. The report notes that the CAAC's most recent investigation report, provided in March 2024, did not offer many details. It merely stated that no faults or abnormalities were found on the aircraft or engines before the flight departed Kunming, and there were no issues with weather or communication. Officials also claimed that the crew members held valid licenses, were well-rested, passed health checks on the day of the flight, and there were no dangerous goods on board.
The report further states that, according to international norms, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, as the lead investigator, should have published a preliminary report within 30 days of the accident and, if possible, a final report within one year to allow the industry to learn from the incident and improve safety. If a final report cannot be released within the deadline, the investigating authority should still issue a statement annually.
According to reports, a document titled "Civil Aviation Administration of China Government Information Disclosure Application Reply Letter" circulated on Chinese social media in May last year. Its content showed that a Chinese netizen applied for public disclosure of the progress of the MU5735 accident investigation, but the CAAC responded, saying, "The information you applied for, if disclosed, may endanger national security, social stability... and therefore it is decided not to disclose it."
Deutsche Welle reported that it could not independently verify the authenticity of the CAAC's 2025 reply letter and the raw data included in the NTSB's latest response (uploaded by netizens to GitHub and Wikipedia). The topic sparked heated discussion on the Chinese online platform Zhihu on the evening of April 30 but was subsequently deleted on May 1st. (Edited by Chou Hui-ying / Chen Kai-yu) 1150502
Choose to stand with facts; every donation protects press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" App to get the latest news instantly.
Reproduction, public broadcasting, public transmission, or utilization of the text, images, and videos on this website is prohibited without authorization.
(Central News Agency, Taipei, May 2nd) According to German media reports, after the China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 crash in March 2022, China has yet to release its final investigation report. Earlier this year, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), responding to an anonymous request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), provided raw black box data. This data reveals that the fuel cut-off switches for both engines were set to off, and a pilot's control stick was violently pushed downwards.
Deutsche Welle Chinese reported on May 1st that after the MU5735 crash, the NTSB had assisted in the investigation and reading of black box data. Earlier this year, an anonymous person submitted a request to the NTSB under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for public government information. On April 29, the NTSB responded, providing raw data from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR, one of the two black boxes), emails between the NTSB and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and a data download report from July 2022.
The raw FDR data indicates that 23 seconds before the black box lost power, the fuel cut-off switches for both the left and right engines of the Boeing 737 passenger plane were set to the off position. This operation is intended to stop fuel supply to the engines. Shortly after, the aircraft's autopilot was also disengaged.
Furthermore, 20 seconds before power loss, a control stick on one side of the cockpit was violently pushed downwards, and the control wheel also showed abnormal movements. However, the raw data does not specify which of the two pilots performed the violent push. During the uncontrolled descent, there were intense and continuous inputs to the control stick, indicating active manipulation by someone in the cockpit throughout the fall.
The black box data also revealed that as the plane dove, the ailerons controlling the roll attitude were constantly active, but the input parameters showed drastic changes. This seems to suggest that another pilot was attempting to save the aircraft.
The report states that the leaked data is consistent with two radar data points published by the aviation tracking website Flightradar24 on the day of the accident. At that time, China Eastern Flight MU5735 began a rapid dive from its original cruising altitude of 29,000 feet (approximately 8,840 meters), falling to 7,425 feet (approximately 2,263 meters) within 72 seconds. The aircraft then briefly re-climbed for about 10 seconds but immediately plunged rapidly again.
23 seconds after the engines' fuel was cut off, the black box stopped recording. The report suggests this was likely because the complete shutdown of the engines led to a power loss in the aircraft, and the black box did not have a backup battery.
Emails between the NTSB and the Civil Aviation Administration of China indicate that this data was transferred to the Chinese authorities as early as the summer of 2022.
According to international civil aviation regulations, after the MU5735 crash, China requested assistance from the country of the aircraft manufacturer (the U.S.) to interpret the black box data. Two months after the accident, the U.S. media outlet Wall Street Journal cited informed sources claiming that preliminary U.S. investigation indicated "someone in the cockpit deliberately crashed the plane." However, the Civil Aviation Administration of China responded at the time, stating that rumors of an intentional crash "seriously misled the public" and "interfered with accident investigation work."
This crash, which resulted in 132 fatalities, is China's deadliest civil aviation accident in nearly 30 years. The report notes that the CAAC's most recent investigation report, provided in March 2024, did not offer many details. It merely stated that no faults or abnormalities were found on the aircraft or engines before the flight departed Kunming, and there were no issues with weather or communication. Officials also claimed that the crew members held valid licenses, were well-rested, passed health checks on the day of the flight, and there were no dangerous goods on board.
The report further states that, according to international norms, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, as the lead investigator, should have published a preliminary report within 30 days of the accident and, if possible, a final report within one year to allow the industry to learn from the incident and improve safety. If a final report cannot be released within the deadline, the investigating authority should still issue a statement annually.
According to reports, a document titled "Civil Aviation Administration of China Government Information Disclosure Application Reply Letter" circulated on Chinese social media in May last year. Its content showed that a Chinese netizen applied for public disclosure of the progress of the MU5735 accident investigation, but the CAAC responded, saying, "The information you applied for, if disclosed, may endanger national security, social stability... and therefore it is decided not to disclose it."
Deutsche Welle reported that it could not independently verify the authenticity of the CAAC's 2025 reply letter and the raw data included in the NTSB's latest response (uploaded by netizens to GitHub and Wikipedia). The topic sparked heated discussion on the Chinese online platform Zhihu on the evening of April 30 but was subsequently deleted on May 1st. (Edited by Chou Hui-ying / Chen Kai-yu) 1150502
Choose to stand with facts; every donation protects press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" App to get the latest news instantly.
Reproduction, public broadcasting, public transmission, or utilization of the text, images, and videos on this website is prohibited without authorization.