The accident involving the Boeing 737-800 killed 123 passengers and nine crew members. [File Photo: Shutterstock]
Key Takeaways:
Investigators are considering the possibility of an inflight breakup of the China Eastern Airlines jet, following the discovery of wreckage six miles from the main crash site.
The aircraft executed an abrupt, near-vertical plunge from cruising altitude with no distress calls, resulting in the death of all 132 people aboard.
One of the aircraft's two black boxes has been recovered and sent for analysis, while recovery efforts continue at the crash site and U.S. authorities prepare to assist in the investigation.
A piece of wreckage believed to have come from the China Eastern Airlines jet that crashed on Monday has been found miles from the main impact point.
Based on its discovery, investigators are considering the possibility that the Boeing 737-800 experienced an inflight breakup before the plunge that killed 132 people.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
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.
