Chinese authorities are accused of concealing information that suggests a pilot intentionally caused a plane crash that resulted in the deaths of all 132 individuals on board, according to US officials. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has seemingly validated suspicions that China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 crashed into mountains in Guangxi province due to the deliberate actions of the pilot. Allegations have surfaced that Beijing officials suppressed details regarding the March 2022 Boeing 737 crash.
Evidence indicates that the plane’s engines were manually turned off, and the autopilot was disengaged, causing the aircraft to descend rapidly towards the mountains. Data from the flight recorder revealed a struggle between the two pilots for control as the plane descended.
The NTSB stated that while flying at 29,000 feet, both engines had their fuel switches moved from the run position to the cut-off position, resulting in a decrease in engine speeds. The agency highlighted conflicting movements on the pilot’s controls, indicating one crew member trying to recover the aircraft while another forced it to continue its descent.
During the incident, no distress call was made by the crew, and no emergency transponder code was transmitted before the crash. The aviation tragedy has become a politically sensitive issue in China, with accusations of a cover-up by Beijing despite mounting calls for transparency.
Initial reports of pilot error emerged shortly after the crash, with a US investigator suggesting that “the plane followed instructions from someone in the cockpit.” Subsequent reports were reportedly censored on Chinese social media platforms.
The flight deck crew during the crash included Captain Yang Hongda, 32, first officer Zhang Zhengping, 59, and trainee second officer Ni Gongtai, 27. Speculation has centered on Zhang, a senior pilot at the airline, who allegedly lost his captaincy recently. However, no official report assigning responsibility has been released.
This incident is among several suspected cases of pilot suicide in aviation history. In 2015, co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally crashed an Airbus into the French Alps, resulting in the deaths of all 150 individuals on board. Speculation also surrounds the intentional pilot error as a potential cause of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in 2015, with all 239 passengers presumed dead.
