WASHINGTON, USA – More than four years after China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 fell from cruising altitude into a hillside in Guangxi, newly disclosed U.S. data has sharpened scrutiny of one of China’s deadliest modern air disasters.

Flight data released through a U.S. Freedom of Information Act request indicates that the fuel control switches for both engines were moved to “cutoff” shortly before the Boeing 737-800 entered its fatal descent. Engine speeds then declined, and the aircraft’s flight data recorder stopped after electrical power was lost, according to reports summarizing the newly released NTSB material.

The disclosure appears to strengthen earlier assessments that the crash may have resulted from deliberate action in the cockpit. But it does not constitute a final accident report, and the data made public so far does not identify who moved the switches, establish motive or fully reconstruct the final moments of the flight.

A Long Silence From Beijing

The Civil Aviation Administration of China, which leads the investigation, has not released a final report. Reuters reported in March 2026 that the regulator had failed to issue an annual update for the second consecutive year, despite international expectations for regular progress reports when an investigation remains open.

Chinese authorities have previously said they found no evidence of pre-existing aircraft, engine, weather, communications or crew-qualification problems. They have also criticized speculation that the crash was intentional, saying such claims misled the public and interfered with the investigation.

International Pressure Builds

The new U.S. disclosure has renewed calls from aviation analysts and international observers for greater transparency, particularly because accident reports are central to preventing future disasters. Reuters has noted that aviation bodies have raised concerns globally about delayed or missing final reports, citing risks to safety learning and public confidence.

Flight MU5735 was traveling from Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21, 2022, with 123 passengers and nine crew members aboard. All 132 people were killed when the aircraft plunged from about 29,000 feet and crashed near Wuzhou. The cause remains officially unresolved.

Source: REUTERS