132 People Died on China Eastern Flight 5735. Investigators Are Still Looking for Why.

What Happened

A new NTSB report on the March 2022 crash of China Eastern Flight 5735 — which killed all 132 people on board — suggests there may have been a physical struggle in the cockpit before the Boeing 737-800 plunged vertically into a mountainside in Guangxi, China. The aircraft went from cruising altitude to impact in under two minutes. The cause has never been officially confirmed by Chinese authorities.

Historical Context

China Eastern 5735 is one of the deadliest aviation accidents in over a decade. Global commercial aviation fatality rates have fallen dramatically: in the 1970s, roughly 2,000 people died in air crashes annually worldwide; by the 2010s–2020s, that figure dropped below 500 most years, despite billions more flights. Deliberate or suspicious cockpit events are extraordinarily rare — the most comparable modern case is Germanwings Flight 9525 (2015, 150 killed), where a co-pilot locked the captain out and deliberately descended. That prompted sweeping global rule changes requiring two crew members in the cockpit at all times. China's aviation authority has been notably opaque about this investigation, which is why the U.S. NTSB — involved because the plane was a Boeing — has been a key source of findings.

What's In Your Control

Whether you read the full NTSB report if you work in aviation safety or policy. Whether you note that the two-crew cockpit rule — already adopted widely post-Germanwings — is worth confirming applies on your next airline. Whether you resist the urge to extrapolate this into a general fear of flying.

Does This Require Action?

For the vast majority of readers: awareness only. If you are a pilot, aviation regulator, or flying on a Chinese carrier this week, the details may be professionally or personally relevant. You are not made safer or less safe by reading this report.