Investigation Summary
The CAAC's preliminary summary of 20 April 2022 states that the aircraft departed its cruising altitude of 8,900 m at 14:20:55 and that the last radar return came at 14:21:40 at 3,380 m, 1,010 km/h on a heading of 117 degrees, with no crew response to repeated ATC calls. It records that the crew were qualified, the aircraft airworthy, the weather suitable and the cargo normal before the descent, and that both recorders were severely damaged. The FDR stopped recording at 26,000 feet when the aircraft's generators lost power, while the CVR continued to record via battery backup. The detailed dive profile widely reported - a brief arrest of the descent and a second dive before impact - comes from Flightradar24 ADS-B data and media reconstruction. The right wingtip winglet was found about 12 km from the main impact site, the one physical indication of an in-flight separation. The CAAC issued anniversary statements in 2023 and 2024 describing the investigation as very complicated and extremely rare. In May 2025, in response to a government information request, the CAAC reportedly stated it would not release further interim reports as they might endanger national security and societal stability. In May 2026, an NTSB FOIA release of recorder-download documentation showed that both fuel-control switches were moved to CUTOFF at cruise, that the autopilot disengaged and that there was forward control-column input. The NTSB data indicated the switches were manually placed in the off position with no attempt to restart the engines, though the documents attribute no cause and no intent.
Final Conclusions
No final report exists and no cause has been determined. The latest official Chinese document remains the CAAC preliminary summary of 20 April 2022, followed by anniversary statements in 2023 and 2024 and nothing since. The first official record of recorder content is the NTSB's 2026 FOIA release, which describes fuel-control switch movement to CUTOFF, autopilot disengagement and forward control-column input without attributing cause or intent.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Yang Hongda (杨洪达), employed as a 737 pilot since January 2018.
First Officer
Zhang Zhengping (张正平), a highly experienced flight instructor and 'Meritorious Pilot'.
Second Officer (Observer)
Ni Gongtao (倪公涛), aboard for training duties.
Systems & Failure Modes
Flight Control System
The mechanical and hydraulic systems that move the elevators, ailerons, and rudder.
Flight Data Recorder (FDR)
The 'black box' that records flight parameters; it was found buried 1.5 meters deep.
Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)
The 'black box' that records cockpit audio; it was found heavily damaged on March 23.
Interesting Facts
- 01CAAC last radar parameters: 14:21:40, 3,380 m, 1,010 km/h, heading 117 degrees.
- 02The right wingtip winglet was found about 12 km from the main impact site, the one physical clue of an in-flight separation.
- 03Both recorders were severely damaged; crew, aircraft, weather and cargo were all normal before the descent.
- 04The CAAC issued anniversary statements in 2023 and 2024 and skipped both March 2025 and March 2026.
- 05The 2026 NTSB FOIA documents are the first official record of recorder content, and attribute no cause or intent.
- 06The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800, which does not have the MCAS system fitted to the 737 MAX.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Industry-wide Safety Inspection
Following the crash, the CAAC ordered a two-week safety inspection of the entire Chinese aviation industry to identify and eliminate hidden risks.
Fleet Grounding
China Eastern Airlines temporarily grounded its Boeing 737-800 fleet after the accident.
NTSB Data Disclosure
In May 2026, the US NTSB released flight data recorder findings via FOIA, providing the first public technical confirmation of cockpit control movements including manual fuel cutoff and autopilot disengagement, noting no attempts were made to restart the engines.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Reports of intentional action
Reference ↗In May 2022 the Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that flight data indicated someone in the cockpit had put the aircraft into a deliberate dive. The CAAC publicly refuted those reports as rumour on 18 May 2022. In 2026 an NTSB FOIA release showed both fuel-control switches moved to CUTOFF at cruise, with autopilot disengagement and forward control-column input, but no authority has attributed cause or intent.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the official investigation report.