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One Black Box Recovered from Eastern China Accident

Chinese authorities also call for a two-week safety standdown.

The aircraft involved in the accident is equipped with two flight recorders: one records flight data the other is a cockpit voice recorder. [File Photo: Shutterstock]
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Key Takeaways:

  • China Eastern Flight MU 5735, a Boeing 737-800 carrying 132 people, crashed in southern China with no survivors, marking China's worst aviation accident in 30 years.
  • One heavily damaged black box has been recovered, though its specific type (flight data or cockpit voice recorder) is unknown, and no distress calls were made before the incident.
  • In response to the crash, China's aviation authority (CAAC) ordered a two-week safety inspection of the entire industry, and China Eastern proactively grounded its remaining 737-800 fleet.
  • The investigation is being conducted by Chinese authorities with assistance from the FAA, NTSB, Boeing, and CFM.
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One of the black boxes from the Boeing 737-800 that crashed in southern China on Monday has been found. 

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.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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