About MU-5735:
China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by China Eastern Airlines from Kunming to Guangzhou, China. On 21 March 2022, the Boeing 737-89P operating the flight steeply descended and impacted the ground at high speed in Teng County, Wuzhou prefecture, Guangxi, killing all 132 passengers and crew onboard.

The aircraft departed from Kunming Changshui International Airport for Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 13:15 local time (05:15 UTC).[7] It was due to land at 15:05 (07:05 UTC).[8]

Four hours before the crash, Wuzhou weather services had issued a warning for strong convective winds.[9]

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), contact with the aircraft was lost over the city of Wuzhou.[10] At 14:22 (06:22 UTC), while preparing to descend into Guangzhou, the aircraft entered a sudden steep descent, from 29,100 feet (8,900 m) to 3,225 feet (983 m) in three minutes with a descent rate of 8,625 feet (2,629 m) per minute, according to flight data recorded by Flightradar24.[11] The aircraft crashed in the mountainous regions of Teng County, where wreckage was subsequently discovered.[7][1]

The crash was filmed by CCTV of a local mining company, with footage depicting the plane rapidly descending, nearly fully vertically.[12][13] The crash site was also filmed, showing wreckage and a fire. Many smaller pieces of wreckage were located scattered around the surrounding area.[14] All 132 passengers and crew were killed on impact.[6]

The last fatal air crash on Chinese soil had taken place 12 years earlier when Henan Airlines Flight 8387, crashed on approach near Lindu Airport, claiming the lives of 44 people out of 96. The crash was later attributed to bad weather and pilot error.

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-89P (737NG or 737 Next Generation) with the registration B-1791 and serial number 41474. The aircraft was powered by two CFM56-7B26E turbofan engines.[7] It had first flown on 5 June 2015 and was delivered new to the airline on 25 June 2015.[7] It was painted in the airline's Yunnan Peacock livery.[15][16] Several media outlets clarified that the Boeing 737-800 is not equipped with the MCAS system which grounded the 737 MAX (a more recent design) following the accidents of Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019.

The Wuzhou prefecture fire department reported that 450 firefighters were dispatched to the scene of the accident.[20] After receiving the distress call, firefighters were dispatched by the Wuzhou Fire and Rescue Department at 15:05 CST. At 15:56, firefighters from nearby Tangbu Town arrived and performed reconnaissance. At 16:40, firefighters from outside Wuzhou were also dispatched, including from Guilin, Beihai, Hezhou, Laibin and Hechi.[21] Rescue crews reportedly had difficulty accessing the site because the crash sparked a fire. By the evening, 117 rescuers had arrived at the site, with a total of 650 dispatched and heading to the site from three directions.[22] The fire was extinguished at 17:25.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States said in a statement that it was made aware of the incident.[26] The FAA added that it was "ready to assist in investigation efforts", if requested. Boeing said that it was informed by initial reports, and was gathering details.[26] Chinese premier Li Keqiang called for all-out efforts to search for survivors and treat the injured, and emphasized the need to reassure and serve the families of the victims. Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for investigators to determine the cause of the crash as soon as possible and to ensure "absolute" aviation safety.[27]

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that a senior official had been appointed as representative to the accident inquiry.[28] Representatives from CFM International, Boeing, and the FAA would also act as technical advisers in the probe.[28]

Air crash investigator Michael Daniel said that the steep and sudden descent of the aircraft without further communication was similar to EgyptAir Flight 990 and SilkAir Flight 185 which were both suspected to have been deliberately crashed by the pilot, and added that foul play should be at the "top of the list" for investigators.

About 737:
The Boeing 737-800 is a stretched version of the 737-700. It replaced the 737-400. The Boeing 737-800 competes primarily with the Airbus A320. The 737-800 seats 162 passengers in a two-class layout or 189 passengers in a one-class layout. The 737-800 was launched on September 5, 1994.[4] Launch customer Hapag-Lloyd Flug (now TUI fly Deutschland) received the first one in April 1998.[51]

Following Boeing's merger with McDonnell Douglas, the 737-800 also filled the gap left by Boeing's decision to discontinue the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and MD-90 aircraft. For many airlines in the U.S., the 737-800 replaced aging Boeing 727-200 trijets.

The 737-800 burns 850 US gallons (3,200 L) of jet fuel per hour—about 80 percent of the fuel used by an MD-80 on a comparable flight, while carrying more passengers.[52] The Airline Monitor, an industry publication, quotes a 737-800 fuel burn of 4.88 US gal (18.5 L) per seat per hour, compared to 5.13 US gal (19.4 L) for the A320.[53] In 2011, United Airlines— flying a Boeing 737-800 from Houston to Chicago—operated the first U.S. commercial flight powered by a blend of algae-derived biofuel and traditional jet fuel to reduce its carbon footprint.[54]

In early 2017, a new 737-800 was valued at $48.3 million, falling to below $47 million by mid-2018.[55][unreliable source?] By 2025, a 17-year-old 737-800W will be worth $9.5 million and leased for $140,000 per month.[56][unreliable source?]

As of May 2019, Boeing had delivered 4,979 737-800s, 116 737-800As, and 21 737-800 BBJ2s, and has twelve 737-800 unfilled orders.[3] The 737-800 is the most common variant of the 737NG and is the most widely used narrow-body aircraft.[57] Ryanair, an Irish low-cost airline, is among the largest operators of the Boeing 737-800, with a fleet of over 400 -800 aircraft serving routes across Europe, Middle East, and North Africa.[58]