By admin

A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 has crashed flying from Kunming (KMG) to Guangzhou (CAN). MU 5735, a domestic flight operated by a 737 with tail number B-1791, had 132 people on board when it appears to have rapidly descended into a mountainous region of China. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has confirmed that the aircraft did indeed crash.

FlightRadar24.com appears to have been tracking the aircraft at the time of its crash, with the service picking up the rapid descent of the Boeing 737-800. The flight-tracking service suggests that the aircraft was cruising at 29,100 feet when the event started.

The approximate location of the crash. Photo: FlightRadar24.com
The service took the last reading at 29,100 feet at 06:19:59 UTC. The following reading picked up by the service from the China Eastern plane was at 06:22:16. According to the plane’s transponder, the aircraft lost around 20,000 feet of altitude in 77 seconds.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has confirmed that the aircraft has crashed. According to the CAAC, there were 132 people on board the aircraft. This comprised 123 passengers and nine crew members. The administration commented,

“On March 21, 2022, a Boeing 737 of China Eastern Airlines lost contact over Wuzhou during the Kunming-Guangzhou flight… The Civil Aviation Administration has activated the emergency mechanism and dispatched a working group to the scene.”

A video circulating on Twitter appears to show a large area of mountainous forest engulfed in flames.