[iNews24 reporter Kim Da-woon] New evidence suggests the China Eastern Airlines passenger jet that crashed — killing all 132 people on board — may have gone down during a struggle between the pilots.
The New York Times reported May 7 (local time) that aviation experts who analyzed a U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, which joined the investigation, say the crash may have occurred during an altercation between the captain and the first officer in the cockpit.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735, a Boeing 737, departed Kunming for Guangzhou on the afternoon of March 21, 2022. While cruising at about 8,800 meters (roughly 28,870 feet), the jet entered a near-vertical descent and crashed into a mountainous area.
All 132 people on board were killed, and investigators have not yet determined the exact cause.
The aircraft’s near-vertical plunge fueled speculation that the crash might have been deliberate.
The New York Times quoted Jeff Guzetti, a former NTSB investigator, saying the flight data recorder shows either the captain or the first officer moved the cutoff lever (the fuel shutoff), cutting fuel to the engines and causing them to stop.
Guzetti said the jet made at least one 360-degree rotation while descending and that the control yokes in the cockpit turned as the aircraft spun. The cockpit had a yoke for both the captain and the first officer.
He added that the controls moved irregularly back and forth during the event, which suggests the captain and first officer may have been turning their yokes in opposing directions during a struggle.
Guzetti characterized the steep plunge and violent rotation as deliberate actions and said the irregular fore-and-aft movement of the yokes also indicates there was a struggle in the cockpit.
