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According to the NTSB data, as reported, “it was found that while cruising at 29,000 feet, the fuel switches on both engines moved from the run position to the cutoff position. Engine speeds decreased after the fuel switch movement.”
Rescuers had conducted search operations at the site of a plane crash in Tengxian County in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Photo: AP)More than four years after the crash of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735, newly released data appears to indicate that someone in the cockpit may have intentionally cut off fuel to both engines, according to a new report.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft plunged nearly 29,000 feet and crashed into a mountain in southern China’s Guangxi region in March 2022, killing all 132 people on board.
Simultaneous fuel switch cutoff before descent
Data released by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in response to a Freedom of Information Act request shows that both engine fuel switches moved from “run” to “cutoff” during cruise flight, CNN reported citing the document.
According to the data, “it was found that while cruising at 29,000 feet, the fuel switches on both engines moved from the run position to the cutoff position. Engine speeds decreased after the fuel switch movement,” the NTSB report stated, as cited by the news outlet.
Fuel switches on commercial aircraft are physical controls that regulate fuel flow to the engines. On the Boeing 737, pilots must lift the switch before moving it from “run” to “cutoff”.
Sudden loss of altitude and data interruption
The aircraft reportedly entered a steep descent after the engine power loss. The flight data recorder stopped recording when onboard generators failed at around 26,000 feet.
The cockpit voice recorder continued operating briefly on backup battery power, but the full sequence of final cockpit audio remains unclear.
Cockpit recordings transferred to Chinese authorities
According to the NTSB material cited by the news outlet, investigators retrieved four voice recordings from the damaged cockpit voice recorder and transferred them to China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for analysis.
Investigation remains unresolved
Despite extensive analysis, Chinese authorities have not publicly concluded what triggered the fatal descent of Flight MU5735.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has not directly addressed whether the fuel cutoff was accidental, mechanical, or deliberate.
US role limited under international rules
The NTSB’s involvement stemmed from Boeing being a U.S.-manufactured aircraft. However, under international aviation rules, China led the investigation as the state of occurrence.
The case remains one of China’s deadliest aviation disasters in decades, with key questions about the cause of the crash still officially unanswered.
English (US) ·