Contradictory Chinese media reports about the second black box of the crashed plane

On the morning of March 25, many Chinese news agencies published articles confirming that the second black box of the China Eastern Airlines plane crashed. According to CAAC News, after 4 days of searching, China found a second black box. CAAC News is a publication of the country’s aviation regulator.

But at noon on March 25 local time, the newspaper of the Civil Aviation Administration of China deleted the article after a short time of publication. Xinhua, China’s state news agency, later said the device’s location had not yet been located. According to Xinhua, updates will be provided at official press conferences.

The second black box was identified as the flight data recorder of a Boeing 737-800 carrying 132 people that crashed on March 21. The device stores vital data such as flight path, speed, altitude and engine power, which can reveal whether a crash was caused by human error or mechanical failure.

The first black box, the cockpit voice recorder, was found on March 23 near the point where the plane went down. The device was sent to a laboratory in Beijing for analysis.

Rescue teams have expanded the search area, but bad weather conditions and the risk of landslides have slowed operations. They are still trying to track down signs of possible survivors, with more debris from the plane’s wings and engines found.

The Boeing 737-800 with flight number MU 5735 of China Eastern Airlines carrying 123 passengers and 9 crew members crashed suddenly in the Guangxi area, southern China. Flight tracking data and recorded images show that the plane plunged at high speed and caused a large fire on impact on the ground.

Many theories have been put forward about the cause of the catastrophic incident, but so far the investigation is still ongoing and the authorities have not reached an official conclusion. Preliminary information indicates that the aircraft is qualified to operate and the flight took place in normal weather conditions.

Boeing’s line of planes made headlines when the Boeing 737-MAX model was grounded globally after two fatal crashes. However, the Chinese airliner’s model of the plane, the Boeing 737-800, is considered to have a better safety record.