Chinese investigators say an in-flight breakup may have preceded the crash of a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 last week but there was no evidence of explosives. “Lab tests taken of 66 samples, 41 of which have been completed, showed no major common inorganic explosive or common organic explosive substances have been found,” fire official Zheng Xi said at a briefing in the southern city of Wuzhou on Saturday. A piece of wingtip from the aircraft was found eight miles from the main crash site, a 60-foot crater in a muddy ravine in the mountains of southern China. Despite the weather and tough terrain, searchers and investigators are making progress in sorting out the grim details.
A total of 24,000 pieces of wreckage have been recovered and the remains of 120 of the 132 people aboard have been identified. Searchers have also found a transmitter associated with the flight data recorder but haven’t yet found the recorder. The aircraft was on a flight from Kunming to Guangzhou when it went into a dive, recovered and then dove again. The NTSB is helping out with the investigation as is Boeing.
Pilot homicide.
Public speculative conclusions of any kind drawn this early after an accident are premature. Your conclusion in particular C340Guy is not only premature, it is inappropriate. Accident investigation is not a sport.
Really? Why is it inappropriate? Do you actually believe that an opinion expressed by a nobody yokel (me) in middle America means a damn thing? Oh, and this certainly isn’t the only “inappropriate” statement I’ve ever made and wont be the last.
#>coughCommentPolicecough>#
Updated news supposedly says the FDR was found and rushed to Beijing for decoding. If China agrees to the ‘party’ method of open investigations, allowing Boeing, NTSB, engine manufacturer and other professionals to sift thru everything, analyze then publish a final report, my expertise in idle speculation remains silent. The deaths of RFK Jr along with his wife and sister in law over Long Island Sound NY was national and international news but of little significance to me struggling to master in flight controls while my instructor kept a poker face and calm voice coaching. Having a few flight hours and ground school lessons, I too gathered news and came to a conclusion but spoke little of it, patiently waiting for the NTSB report. I was already knee deep in researching NTSB reports related to my training a/c as I was interested in comparing my zero knowledge to the vast wealth of free data. Perhaps the downtime of sifting thru NTSB reports helped me refrain from idle speculation. To add perspective, two of three training accidents in my school with no one perishing gave me some insight in comparing close up personal knowledge of those involved against each NTSB report.
I still doubt China, the FAA, Boeing, NTSB, The American people or the Peoples Republic of China care what C340guy or Fred Dryer opine about the cause of this accident.
The Chinese government has a majority ownership stake in China Eastern Airlines. There will be no “pilot suicide”. Boeing trembles. The FAA and NTSB looking busy. Airbus going to town.