Newly released data from US investigators points to a chilling sequence of events in the final minutes of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735, indicating both engines were intentionally shut down and a struggle unfolded in the cockpit before the Boeing 737‑800 plunged into a mountainside in 2022, killing all 132 people on board.
The information comes from a report released by the US National Transportation Safety Board, which analysed the aircraft’s flight data recorder after the crash. The NTSB became involved because the jet and its engines were manufactured by American companies, and US investigators are widely regarded as global leaders in black‑box analysis.
The findings offer the clearest picture yet of what may have caused the disaster and align with early reports suggesting crew involvement, after Chinese authorities initially said they found no mechanical issues with the aircraft.
Aviation experts who reviewed the data say the fuel supply to both engines was manually cut off and the aircraft was forced into a steep dive and a full 360‑degree roll. While the data strongly implies human action, it does not conclusively identify who was responsible, as China’s Civil Aviation Administration has still not released its final report more than four years after the crash.
The NTSB report, released May 1, notes that the 737’s fuel levers are designed so they cannot be accidentally bumped; they must be deliberately unlocked and pulled. Safety consultant John Cox said the levers “lock into place,” making an inadvertent shutdown highly unlikely.
The flight data ends at 26,000 feet, when the recorder and hydraulic systems lost power. The cockpit voice recorder continued operating on battery backup, but the NTSB did not release its contents leaving it to Chinese authorities to disclose what was said in the cockpit.
Former NTSB and FAA investigator Jeff Guzzetti said the erratic control movements captured in the data suggest a struggle, raising the possibility of a pilot suicide. He compared the behaviour to previous cases, including the 2015 Germanwings crash in the French Alps.
The revelations are likely to reignite debate over pilot mental‑health screening. Many pilots avoid seeking treatment for fear of losing their medical certification, and some countries still ban common psychiatric medications for flight crew.
Flight MU5735 was en route from Kunming to Guangzhou when it suddenly nosedived from cruising altitude, briefly recovered, then slammed into a forested mountainside, leaving a 20‑metre crater and sparking a fire. The crew reported no issues before losing contact with air traffic control, and Chinese investigators said they found no abnormalities in the aircraft, weather or crew background.
The March 21, 2022 crash was a rare and devastating setback for China’s aviation sector, which had dramatically improved its safety record since the 1990s. China Eastern remains one of the country’s four major state‑owned airlines.
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