Search crews have recovered one of the flight recorders from the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 that crashed in southern China on Monday, killing all 132 onboard. According to Chinese state-controlled media, investigators have not determined whether the device is a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder because of its heavily damaged condition.
The airplane, which took off from Kunming in Yunnan province on a scheduled flight to the southeastern coastal city of Guangzhou, crashed in a mountainous area in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Surveillance video showed the airplane in a direct nosedive seconds before it crashed.
According to data from flight tracking site FlightRadar24, MU5735 began to quickly lose altitude while cruising at 29,100 feet and descended to about 9,000 feet in just over two minutes. FlightRadar24’s last altitude indication shows the airplane at 3,225 feet.
In an updated statement, Boeing issued condolences and emphasized its readiness to help with the investigation. “We are working with our airline customer and are ready to support them,” it said. “Boeing is in contact with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and our technical experts are prepared to assist with the investigation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.”
In its own statement, the National Transportation Safety Board said it has appointed a senior air safety investigator as the U.S. representative for the investigation. Meanwhile, representatives from Boeing, CFM, and the FAA will serve as technical advisors to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
Boeing delivered the airplane, registration B-1791, to China Eastern in June 2015. China Eastern’s fleet of more than 600 airplanes includes 108 Boeing 737-800s and thirty-nine 737-700s.