China Eastern Flight 5735: wreckage found 10 kilometers away from the main crater

During a press conference today, Zhu Tao, director of the aviation safety office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said that search and rescue personnel found suspicious debris about ten kilometers from the main crash scene, so the radius of the search and rescue program will continue to expand.

According to the officials involved the main crater, located in a mountainous area of the Teng region, has an approximate extension of 2500 square meters and has a depth of about twenty meters. Remains of engine blades, part of the left and right horizontal stabilizers, actuators, and other aircraft components have been found there, along with crew certificates. In addition, Zheng Xi, head of the rescue corps, said that human remains were found at the site.

The piece found afar from the main crash site is approximately 1.3 meters long and about 10 cm wide and appears to be part of one of the CFM56 engines that powered the aircraft.

Finding the second recorder is a priority

Mao Yanfeng, director of the CAAC’s civil aviation accident investigation center, told an official press conference that the priority for the investigation is that «the second black box is found as soon as possible.» Investigators found one of the aircraft’s data recorders yesterday, which despite being severely damaged, was later identified as the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). Yanfeng noted that the equipment «was sent to an institution in Beijing for opening.»

The next step for investigators is to try to find the second «black box»: the flight data recorder (FDR), which stores hundreds of the plane’s flight parameters. As reported by the BBC, after repeated attempts to find the radio signal from the «black box» (both devices are equipped with a radio transmitter to help locate it), nothing was found, leading to suspicions that the device may have been damaged.

U.S. investigators in doubt

International practice after a plane crash indicates that the accident investigation usually involves the accident investigation board of the country where the plane was designed, along with representatives of the aircraft and engine manufacturer.

In this case the United States, the country that designed and produced the aircraft, can appoint proxies to assist in the investigation. The NTSB announced shortly after the accident that it had chosen an investigator as its representative. However, because «travel to China is subject to visas and restrictions due to COVID-19, this person’s travel is pending. These issues will need to be circumvented before a decision is made to go to the site,» the agency said in a statement.

On the other hand, Tao said during today’s press conference that the focus «remains on the search and collection of evidence. Once this is completed and as we enter the investigation stage, we will invite relevant parties to join us.»