Earlier today, a China Eastern Boeing 737-800 flying from Kunming to Guangzhou in Southern China fell from 31,000 feet. As someone who was terrified of flying between the ages of 17-21, I debated even sharing this information, but I think knowledge is power.
It’s best to know that what you will see in the CCT video of flight MU5735 is not normal. It’s also not the same type of 737 plane that’s plagued Boeing for the last few years. That was the 737MAX. The 737-800 is a workhorse and is a very safe plane and you’ve probably flown it more than any other aircraft, especially if you fly Southwest Airlines often.
I’ve compiled the most important tweets of this tragedy so you will all the details without having to spend hours flipping through your timeline feed.
Update: The Boeing 737 plane, operated by China Eastern Airlines, was carrying 132 people and crashed in the Guangxi region. Chinese state media had initially reported 133 passengers. https://t.co/M92PbA0Ryv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 21, 2022
Flightradar24 data for China Eastern Airlines flight #MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou.
At 06:20:59 UTC the Boeing 737-800 aircraft started to lose altitude very fast. At 06:22:35 UTC last ADS-B signal showed vertical speed -31.000 feet per minute.https://t.co/Lwo8klGf8g pic.twitter.com/UEZaa9asua
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 21, 2022
The last seconds of China Eastern Airlines MU5735 were caught on a CCTV camera. Shows that it was in a near vertical dive. pic.twitter.com/0ZaBcJqLR7
— Oliver Alexander (@OAlexanderDK) March 21, 2022
Chinese air carriers are among the safest in the world and #MU5735 would mark the first fatal hull loss of a jet passenger aircraft in the country since August 2010.
— Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) March 21, 2022
Tragic news. RIP to all lost. May their memories be a blessing. #aviation #China https://t.co/QgWtIHIz1S
— Henry Harteveldt (@hharteveldt) March 21, 2022
Rescuers scoured heavily forested slopes in southern China as they searched for the victims and flight recorders from a China Eastern Airlines jet that crashed a day earlier in the mountains of Guangxi with 132 people aboard https://t.co/LlLxzKUpxc pic.twitter.com/lVAwpKrtLz
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 22, 2022
LATEST: No survivors have been found after the China Eastern 737 crash. @Alexinair tells @dan_murphy the nature of the crash remains “completely unexplained.” pic.twitter.com/VKLfv3pjEg
— CNBC Middle East (@CNBCMiddleEast) March 22, 2022
Before flight #MU5735 crash in China’s Guangxi on Monday, 22 accidents involved #Boeing737-800 in history, 10 fatal https://t.co/uGCCovbHtO pic.twitter.com/01Qfbyq3Ya
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) March 22, 2022
The first black box recovered is preliminary identified as Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). It has been sent to Beijing for decoding. #LatestNews pic.twitter.com/ZcKbJGFSks
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) March 23, 2022
At China plane crash site, relatives wait in grim vigil https://t.co/VFEj5xL0Qm pic.twitter.com/hGBQplrBUn
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 23, 2022
#ChinaEasternAirlines flight #MU5735 sharply dropped from an altitude of 29,100 feet to 9,075 feet in just two minutes and 15 seconds. What happened? Will the black box provide answers? #CGTN asked experts to explain the finding of the black box. https://t.co/A5K2uA5mFH
— CGTN Business (@CGTNBusiness) March 24, 2022
CHINA FINDS SECOND BLACK BOX FROM CHINA EASTERN JET THAT CRASHED – CHINESE STATE MEDIA
— Jamie Freed (@Jamie_Freed) March 25, 2022
I won’t speculate on the cause of the crash but I do know this is not normal. The Boeing 737-800 and Chinese air carriers are safe. The cause will be revealed once investigators do their difficult work. My thoughts and prayers are with the passengers and crew and the families and friends of all onboard. No matter what the cause, this is a terrible tragedy.
I HAVE NEARLY 17,000 HOURS AS PILOT IN COMAND (CAPTAIN) OF THE 737 SERIES 300,500,700, 800 AND 900. OVER 3,000 HOURS PIC IN THE 737/800. I HAVE FLOW THESE AIRCRAFT THROUGH ALL KIND OF WEATHER INTO AND OUT OF SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS AIRPORTS IN THE WORLD. I LOVE THIS AIRCRAFT OVER ANY OTHER AIRCRAFT I FLEW IN 40 YEARS AS A COMMERCIAL AIRLINE CAPTAIN. I CAN NOT IMAGINE THE 737 BEING AT FAULT. THE 737, ANY SERIES WAS THE EASIEST, MOST FORGIVING AND SAFEST AIRCRAFT I EVER FLEW IN NEARLY 36,000 FLIGHT HOURS.