Was China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 Deliberately Crashed?

Citing information from “people familiar with U.S. officials’ preliminary assessment,” The Wall Street Journal reports the incident could have been deliberate, instead of an accident.

“The Plane Did What It Was Told to do By Someone in the Cockpit”

According to those close to the investigation, the early conclusion comes from data analysis from the aircraft’s “Black Box,” including the Flight Data Recorder. Simply explained by the source: “The plane did what it was told to do by someone in the cockpit.”

The preliminary evidence allegedly suggests one of two scenarios may have doomed the aircraft, killing everyone onboard. Either one of the pilots pointed the nose down towards the ground, causing the steep dive leading to the crash, or someone else breached the cockpit and ultimately caused the accident. However, spokespersons for China Eastern previously said that a cockpit intrusion was unlikely, as the aircraft did not send any emergency codes prior to coming down.

Reinforcing this belief is early information provided by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The regulators have not suggested that a mechanical or flight control failure could have brought the aircraft down, while China Eastern Airlines continues to claim the accident was not their fault. Furthermore, Boeing has not issued an emergency airworthiness mandate because of the crash – further suggesting that the incident could be caused by human intervention.

There is still a long way to go before the international community comes to a conclusion on the case. Speaking to the newspaper, those close to the case concede that they don’t have the same level of information as their Chinese counterparts, limiting their ability to analyze the incident. Outside of public statements, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has not commented on the allegations risen in The Wall Street Journal report. The preliminary investigative report from the agency was completed under expectations from international treaties.

China Eastern Flight 5735 crashed on March 21, 2022. All 132 souls on board were killed.

China Eastern Flight 5735 Could be Second Deadliest Deliberate Crash in Recent History

If the evidence ultimately points to human intervention, China Eastern Flight 5735 could be the second deadliest deliberate crash in the past seven years. In 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 went down in the French Alps when one of the pilots locked the cockpit door and pointed the nose down. All 150 souls aboard died in the incident.

Feature image courtesy: Alec Wilson/Flickr/CC-BY-SA 2.0