Today marks the second anniversary of one of the most devastating plane crashes in China’s history. 132 people were killed. The background is still not clear. Beijing keeps important information under wraps.
The shock at that time went around the world. On March 21, 2022, the Boeing 737 with flight number MU5735 of the China Eastern line is on its way from Kunming in southern China to Guangzhou, two hours away. But around 150 kilometers from its destination it practically falls out of the sky.
Joe Hattley, an air accident investigation expert at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, remembers: “Before the plane left its intended altitude, everything was normal. The air traffic controllers were also in contact with the crew.” The plane suddenly began to descend, the controllers tried to contact the crew, but they didn’t get an answer.
The plane crashes vertically, nose first, into a forest. All 123 passengers and nine crew members die. Chinese authorities are sending rescue workers to the crash site and emergency carers to families and friends of the victims.
Technical error ruled out as the cause
Willy Lam, political scientist at the Jamestown Foundation think tank in Washington, sees other intentions. “Of course there was great sadness and anger. That’s why the state and party leadership sent three people to each bereaved family to ensure that there was no public outcry that would be embarrassing for the leadership,” Lam said.
According to international rules, an investigation begins. It is managed by China’s aviation authority. Experts from the manufacturer Boeing and the US Transportation Safety Board are supporting the investigation. The experts quickly rule out technical failure, a fire or a bomb on board.
Reports of co-pilot suicide
Instead, the Wall Street Journal quotes an informant from the investigation. He says the crash was caused by someone in the cockpit. The focus is on the co-pilot, one of China’s most experienced aviators. According to unconfirmed reports, he was demoted shortly before the crash. The theory of suicide is in the room.
According to accident expert Hattley, the reason for the plane crash cannot be determined because there is no data from the flight recorder and the voice recorder in the cockpit.
This information remains secret as long as the lead nation in the investigation wants it to. In this case that is China. And indications of a deliberate crash apparently do not fit the propagated image that everything is running smoothly under the leadership of the Communist Party.
State leaders keep information secret
“The economy is weakening, many people have lost money in the real estate sector – people have a lot of worries. State and party leader Xi Jinping sees it as very dangerous to then publish bad news. Because it could question the party’s legitimacy and claim to power “, says political scientist Lam.
On the second anniversary of the crash, China’s aviation authority repeats what is already known in another interim report. No personnel, technical or weather problems, no fire on board or a bomb. The investigation continues.
Observers do not expect any clarification
And although experts say such an investigation could drag on for years, political scientist Lam expects crucial information to remain under wraps. “Similar cases from the past show that there is almost zero chance that the authorities will publish everything, all of their investigation results.”
According to Lam, official information about whether the co-pilot was in such a state that he intentionally caused the crash will never be made public.
Friends and families of the victims would never be sure what exactly caused the crash.
Christoph Kober, ARD Beijing, tagesschau, March 21, 2024 12:17 p.m