China Eastern Airlines To Ground All Boeing 737-800 Aircraft After Horrific Crash | 10 Points

The crash came nearly four years after Boeing received widespread criticism when two of its newer-model 737 MAX aircraft crashed.

Written by: India.com News Desk Edited by: Victor Dasgupta

Updated: March 21, 2022, 10:49 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/world/china-eastern-airlines-likely-to-ground-all-boeing-737-800-aircraft-after-horrific-crash-5296430/ Copy

China Eastern Airlines To Ground All Boeing 737-800 Aircraft After Horrific Crash (Image: Associated Press)

China Eastern Airlines is likely to ground all Boeing 737-800 aircraft after one of its planes carrying 132 people crashed in the southwestern Chinese province of Guangxi. The Boeing 737-800 flight, which was traveling from the southwestern city of Kunming to Guangzhou, on Monday descended rapidly and lost contact in a mountainous area near the city of Wuzhou.

According to the reports, 123 passengers and nine crew members were on board. The crash came nearly four years after Boeing received widespread criticism when two of its newer-model 737 MAX aircraft crashed.

Top Updates: 

1. China Eastern Airlines is likely to ground all Boeing 737-800 aircraft after one of its planes carrying 132 people crashed in the southwestern Chinese province of Guangxi.
2. A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 with 132 people on board crashed in a remote mountainous area of southern China
3. Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement the crash occurred near the city of Wuzhou in the Guangxi region. The flight was traveling from Kunming in the southwestern province of Yunnan to the industrial center of Guangzhou along the east coast
4. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out effort” by the rescue operation, as well as for an investigation into the crash and to ensure complete civil aviation safety.
5. TV footage are showing wrecks of the plane scattered on the ground in the forested area near the mountains.
6. Debris of plane sighted, reported CNN-News 18.
7. In 2010, China had suffered a fatal jet accident, wherein 44 of 96 people on board lost their lives. An Embraer E-190 regional jet flown by Henan Airlines had crashed on approach to Yichun airport owing to low visibility.
8. Late last year, the Boeing 737 plane, operated by Chinese Eastern airlines was cleared to return to service after the 737 Max version was grounded worldwide following at least two plane crashes.
9. In March 2019, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines had crashed near Addis Ababa, killing 157 passengers, including four Indians.
10. Casualties not yet known, there were 133 passengers on board.

The 737-800 aircraft is an older model than the 737 MAX, and has a strong safety record. Since 1997, the aircraft has had just 11 fatal accidents out of more than 7,000 planes delivered, Bloomberg reported.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement the crash occurred near the city of Wuzhou in the Guangxi region. The flight was traveling from Kunming in the southwestern province of Yunnan to the industrial center of Guangzhou along the east coast, it added.

Villagers were first to arrive at the forested area where the plane went down, sparking a blaze big enough to be seen on NASA satellite images. Hundreds of rescue workers were swiftly dispatched from Guangxi and neighboring Guangdong province.

The plane was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members, the CAAC said, correcting earlier reports that 133 people had been on board. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out effort” by the rescue operation, as well as for an investigation into the crash and to ensure complete civil aviation safety.

State media reported all 737-800s in China Eastern’s fleet were ordered grounded, while broadcaster CCTV said the airliner had set up nine teams to deal with aircraft disposal, accident investigation, family assistance and other pressing matters.

The CAAC and China Eastern both said they had sent officials to the crash site in accordance with emergency measures.

State media said local police first received calls from villagers alerting the crash around 2:30 p.m. (0630 GMT). Guangxi provincial emergency management department said contact with the plane was lost at 2:15 p.m. (0615 GMT).

Chicago-based Boeing Co. said it was aware of the initial reports of the crash and was “working to gather more information.” Boeing stock dropped over 8% in pre-market trading early Monday.

Headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern is one of the country’s top three airlines, operating scores of domestic and international routes serving 248 destinations.

China Eastern’s flight No. 5735 had been traveling at around 30,000 feet when suddenly, just after 2:20 p.m., the plane entered a deep dive at its cruising altitude speed of 455 knots (523 mph, 842 kph), according to data from flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.com. The data suggests the plane crashed within a minute and a half of whatever went wrong.