Boeing in contact with US safety board, Chinese investigation team after China plane crash

In a shocking event, a Boeing 737-800 airliner crashed in southern China killing 123 passengers and nine crew members. Following the crash that took place on Monday, Chinese Eastern Airlines Boeing expressed solidarity with the passengers and crew members and assured support to them. The flight company was also in contact with the US National Transportation Safety Board, while adding that it was assisting with the investigation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China over the flight crash.

The Boeing 737 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines crashed into a mountainous area near the Molang village in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou. Following the crash, the Chinese authorities announced an investigation. The company has now informed that it is in touch with the US investigative agency looking into the plane crash.

Taking to Twitter, Boeing wrote, “Boeing is in contact with the US National Transportation Safety Board and our technical experts are prepared to assist with the investigation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.” Furthermore, it added that it was ready to provide support to the ones affected by the crash. “Our thoughts are with the passengers and crew of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU 5735. We are working with our airline customers and are ready to support them.” The announcement from Boeing came after the Aviation watchdog of China informed that an emergency response mechanism has been initiated to look into the case.

China plane crash and history of Boeing crashes

The unfortunate incident that killed 123 passengers and nine crew members is not the first a Boeing 737 aircraft was involved in. Both Boeing 737 Max (advanced version of Boeing 737-800) and Boeing 737-800 belong to the 737 series have suffered accidents in the past, which had raised questions over its safety. India's air-safety watchdog, The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had banned the Boeing 737 Max aircraft in India in March 2019.  

The DGCA had placed a ban on the aircraft after a total of 346 people were killed in two Boeing 737 accidents in the six months period between October 2019 to March 2019. The ban was lifted after 27 months, in August 2021, only after the necessary software rectifications were made by Boeing. Apart from the most recent incident in China, Boeings are infamous for their involvement in a number of high-profile accidents in recent years. There have been 74 mishaps involving Boeing planes since 2000, with 13 fatalities involving the latest generation design. Moreover, two incidents involving crashes even prompted a worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX.

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