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By David Shepardson and Casey Hall<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON\/SHANGHAI, May 6 (Reuters) – The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board released data this week indicating the fuel supply was switched off to both engines of a China Eastern Airlines Boeing \u200c737 jet before the aircraft plunged into a hillside in southern China in March 2022, killing all 132 people \u200con board.<\/p>\n
The NTSB said on Wednesday its probe of China’s deadliest air disaster in three decades turned up no safety issues. Fuel switches on Boeing 737 \u200baircraft are physical controls regulating fuel flow to the engines, and a pilot must pull the switch up before moving it from run to cutoff.<\/p>\n
Its release is the first significant investigative update on the deadly crash.<\/p>\n
In March, China’s aviation regulator opted for the second year not to release an annual update on its investigation of the crash, letting the fourth anniversary pass without providing any insight \u200cinto the cause.<\/p>\n
The data, released by the NTSB \u2060in response to a Freedom of Information request, originated from the plane’s flight data recorder. It showed fuel switches for both engines moved simultaneously from the run position to the cutoff position before \u2060the jet descended.<\/p>\n
Reuters reported in 2022 that investigators were focused on the actions of the flight crew and had not found any evidence of technical malfunctions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was found that while cruising at 29,000 feet, the fuel switches on both engines moved from the run position \u200bto the \u200bcutoff position. Engine speeds decreased after the fuel switch movement,\u201d the \u200bNTSB report said.<\/p>\n
The crash of the Boeing 737-800, operated \u200cas China Eastern flight MU5735, was China’s deadliest air disaster in decades.<\/p>\n
Deliberate crashes are exceptionally rare. In March 2015, a Germanwings co-pilot deliberately flew an Airbus A320 into a French mountainside, killing all 150 on board.<\/p>\n
The actions of the captain in the June crash of an Air India Boeing 787 in Ahmedabad, India that killed 260 people have been under scrutiny.<\/p>\n
A preliminary investigation report by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) showed the plane’s fuel-engine switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff just after takeoff.<\/p>\n
The \u200ccockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots supported the view that \u200bCaptain Sabharwal had cut the flow of fuel to the engines, a \u200bsource briefed on U.S. officials’ early assessment of evidence \u200bin July told Reuters.<\/p>\n
Chinese regulators have not released a full report detailing the findings of their investigation \u200cinto the crash and have given no update \u200bof the probe for more than \u200btwo years.<\/p>\n
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and China Eastern Airlines did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the report and a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to answer a question about the U.S. \u200bfindings at a regular press briefing on \u200cWednesday.<\/p>\n
The flight data recorder is one of the two black boxes recovered from the wreckage. It was sent \u200bto the NTSB laboratory in Washington for analysis because Boeing is an American aircraft manufacturer.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Casey \u200bHall and David Shepardson; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and David Gregorio)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n