©Reuters. Rescue teams work at the crash site of a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737800 plane flying from Kunming to Guangzhou in Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
By Martin Quin Pollard
WUZHOU, China, March 24 Salvage teams were searching in light rain for a second black box from the China Eastern Airlines (NYSE:) passenger plane that crashed into a mountainside with 132 people on board, as more information about the flight emerged from the pilots.
The first black box found on Wednesday was the cockpit voice recorder, according to an initial assessment, a Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) official told reporters.
The footage appeared to have survived the impact in relatively good condition and was shipped to Beijing for analysis, the representative said.
The cockpit voice recorder would provide investigators with details of communications between the flight’s three pilots, which is one more than is typically required onboard a Boeing (NYSE:) 737800 aircraft.
Flight MU5735 was en route from the southwestern city of Kunming to the coast of Guangzhou on Monday when the plane suddenly crashed from cruising altitude, around the time it should have begun its descent before landing.
According to flighttracking website FlightRadar24, the plane appeared to briefly emerge from its nosedive before hurtling back into a densely forested hillside in south China’s mountainous region of Guangxi.
Chinese authorities said the pilots did not respond to repeated calls from air traffic controllers during the rapid descent.
It is still too early to determine the cause of accidents, which experts say is often due to a combination of factors. No survivors were found.
China Eastern (HK:) did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reports.
After the first deadly plane crash in more than a decade, the central government on Thursday called for stronger security management in highrisk sectors and rapid response to disasters.
The State Council added in a statement that if necessary, the appropriate sanctions will be imposed.
THERMAL CAMERAS AND DRONES
Fog and low clouds hung over the small, treecovered hills of the largely rural area around the crash site on Thursday.
According to state television, search teams combed through vegetation and soil with sticks and even with their bare hands on rainsoaked slopes. Some of them also carried thermal imaging cameras to detect signs of life.
Drones have been prepared for use to survey the core area of the crash site and capture footage for experts to review, state media said. Other drones that can remain airborne for more than 12 hours are used to provide light at night.
The accident investigation is led by China, but the United States was invited to participate because the aircraft was designed and manufactured there.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday it has not yet decided whether investigators would travel to China amid strict visa and quarantine requirements.
(Additional reporting by Brenda Goh in Shanghai, Ryan Woo and Stella Qiu in Beijing, and David Shepardson in Washington; writing by Jamie Freed; editing by Simon CameronMoore, translated by José Muñoz at the Gdańsk Newsroom)