The catastrophic incident involving a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 in March 2022, which resulted in the loss of 132 lives, may have been caused by a fierce confrontation between the pilots right inside the cockpit. An examination of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder revealed alarming details from the final moments leading up to the crash, according to new information reported by the British newspaper, the Daily Mail.
The aircraft was en route from Kunming to Guangzhou when, at an unspecified moment, it abruptly initiated a steep dive. Data from the flight recorder indicates that the struggle within the flight deck lasted approximately 18 seconds before the Boeing impacted the mountainside at an extreme velocity.
As per the publication, one pilot was desperately attempting to prevent the collision, forcefully pulling the control column back in an effort to raise the aircraft’s nose and recover from the dive. Conversely, the second pilot was deliberately pushing the control column forward, intensifying the angle of descent and steering the jet towards the ground.
Investigators concluded that the voice recorder contained screams, labored, harsh breathing, alongside noises and sounds that experts identified as a physical altercation or a vehement dispute between the flight crew members.
“The impression given is that what occurred in the cockpit was not merely a disagreement, but a genuine hand-to-hand struggle for control of the aircraft,” the publication noted.
Experts determined that both engines were forcibly shut down just prior to the onset of the steep dive. Furthermore, the fuel control levers on these models are equipped with special locks to prevent accidental repositioning. To move both levers to the ‘off’ position necessitates deliberate, focused, and simultaneous action using both hands, effectively ruling out the possibility of a technical malfunction or simple human error—the engines were deactivated intentionally.
American investigators, involved due to the aircraft being manufactured in the USA, also highlighted the extraordinary dive dynamics. Their data suggests the Boeing performed a full 360-degree axial rotation during its descent, a maneuver typically associated with manual control inputs where the ailerons are deflected fully.
“All this evidence increasingly points the investigation toward the theory of intentional action by one of the pilots, who possibly incapacitated his colleague’s access to the controls and shut down the engines. The final report from Chinese authorities, which might illuminate the motives, has yet to be released,” the article stated.
The Boeing 737, which took off from Kunming in Yunnan province bound for Guangzhou, crashed in Teng County, within the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. All 132 individuals aboard the airliner perished. The flight recorder, found heavily damaged, was transported to a specialized facility in Washington, USA, for analysis.
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