As of April 4th, 108 aircraft remained grounded by China Eastern Airlines. China Eastern Airlines issued the statement “it is not yet clear whether the cause of the accident is related to the aircraft, but for safety reasons, the company has decided to suspend the operation of all its 737-800 aircraft from tomorrow, and the recovery time has not yet been determined”.
China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 recently crashed in southern China. The flight crashed about 675 miles from Kunming on its way to Guangzhou in the southeastern province of Guangdong on March 1, 2022. Unfortunately, all 131 passengers were killed in the crash. The aircraft was flying at a cruising altitude of 29,000 feet when suddenly the aircraft lost altitude rapidly and crashed into a hillside.
Although aviation analysts consider the Boeing Co. 737-800 to be one of the safest aircraft, many speculate that the airline is fearful of its reputation if they fail to ground its entire 737-800 fleet. This crash comes after two Boeing 737 Max aircraft crashes in recent years. However, the 737-800 is a different model aircraft and investigators are still uncertain what caused this crash.
Typically, aircraft crashes occur either due to pilot error or mechanical failure, or a combination of both mechanical failure and pilot error. After pilot error and mechanical failure, such causes as poor landing conditions, weather, and wildlife strikes are significantly less common.
If you or someone you know has suffered due to an aviation-related injury or loss of a family member, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz, & Stogner by calling 713-222-7211 or toll-free at 1-800-594-4884.