Boeing 737-800 crash: Plane carrying 132 crashes in China, no survivors found

Boeing 737 crash in China: A China Eastern flight MU573 carrying 132 passengers has crashed into a mountain in China's Guangxi region. The plane had taken off from Kunming and was headed towards Guangzhou. The plane crash has caused a massive fire on the mountain. 

The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 aircraft and it belonged to the China Eastern Airlines. The Chinese state broadcaster says no survivors have been found in wreckage of the China Eastern plane that crashed with 132 aboard.

The Boeing reportedly crashed in the rural countryside near Wuzhou city in the  Guangxi region. The rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site. 

PM Narendra Modi extended his condolences on the plane crash in China through a tweet, "Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the crash of the passenger flight MU5735 with 132 onboard in China’s Guangxi."

Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the crash of the passenger flight MU5735 with 132 on board in China’s Guangxi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the crash and their family members.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 21, 2022

UK PM Boris Johnson also extended his condolences and said that his thoughts are with the families of all those caught up in this tragedy and the search and rescue teams currently responding.

Terrible news about the China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735. My thoughts are with the families of all those caught up in this tragedy and the search and rescue teams currently responding.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 21, 2022

Boeing 737 crash in China: All We Know So Far!

China Eastern flight MU5735 Schedule: The China Eastern flight MU5735 was headed towards Guangzhou after taking off from Kunming city shortly  at 1.11pm on March 21st. The was scheduled to land at 3.05pm in Guangzhou but the plane did not arrive at its scheduled destination.  The flight tracking ended at 2:22 pm, when the flight was at an altitude of 3225 feet and flight data shows it lost 18,000 ft in altitude in a space of two minutes. 

Crash site pic.twitter.com/8qJWYK8FhS

— ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) March 21, 2022

-It was a 6-year-old Boeing 737 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines.

-The plane was carrying 132 people, including 123 passengers and nine crew members.  

-It has crashed into a mountain in China's Guangxi.

-The crash has caused a massive fire at the site,

-No survivors have been reported. 

 We are following multiple unconfirmed reports about a possible accident involving China Eastern Airlines flight #MU5735 a Boeing 737-89P (B-1791) en route from Kunming to Guanghzou, China. pic.twitter.com/d8MhU7mZPv

— Aviation Safety Network (ASN) (@AviationSafety) March 21, 2022

When was the last plane crash in China?

The last plane crash in China was on May 25, 2002, when a Boeing 747-209B carrying 225 people crashed into the Taiwan Strait, killing everyone on board. The China Airlines Flight 611 reportedly disintegrated in midair, northeast of the Penghu Islands, around 20 minutes after takeoff.

Is Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX the same?

The Boeing 737-800 is the predecessor of the Boeing 737-Max. The first variant of the 737 MAX series, MAX 8 had replaced Boeing 737-800. 

India puts Boeing 737 Fleet on 'Enhanced Surveillance'

India has put Boeing 737 fleets of Indian carriers including Vistara, Air India Express and SpiceJet on 'enhanced surveillance' after the deadly plane crash in China that killed 132 on board. The Chief of  Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Arun Kumar said, "Flight safety is serious business and we are closely studying the situation."

Has Boeing 737-800 crashed before?

The Boeing 737-800, launched in 1994, is one of the most popular aircraft around the world and is used by several leading airlines including Air India Express, SpieceJet, Vistara in India, American Airlines, RyanAir and Singapore Airlines subsidiary SilkAir. 

However, the aircraft has also been involved in several fatal accidents over its long period of service.

Following are few fatal accidents involving Boeing 737-800:

September 29, 2006: Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907, a brand-new 737-800 carrying 154 people broke up and crashed following a midair collision in Brazil with an Embraer Legacy 600. While all board the Boeing 737-800 died, the Legacy landed safely. 

May 5, 2007: A Kenya Airways Flight 507, Boeing 737-800 carrying 114 people from Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire to Nairobi, Kenya crashed into a swamp, killing all on board. 

February 25, 2009: Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, which had taken off from Istanbul crashed in a field near the Polderbaan while attempting to land at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, killing nine people. 

January 25, 2010: Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 carrying 98 people crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, killing all on board. It was headed towards Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. 

May 22, 2010: Air India Express Flight 812 overshot the runway on landing at Mangalore International Airport, killing 158 people, eight survived.

August 16, 2010: AIRES Flight 8250, crashed and split into three pieces on the San Andres island in Columbia. 

March 19, 2016: Flydubai Flight 981 flying from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don in Russia crashed during its final approach to the airport, klling all 62 on board. 

January 8, 2020: Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 carrying 176 people crashed shortly after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killng all onboard. The flight was bound for Kyiv, Ukraine. It was later found out that the plane was unintentionally shot down by the the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

August 7, 2020: Air India Express Flight 1344 overshot the runway at Calicut International Airport during landing in heavy rain and crashed into a gorge, killing pilots and 18 passengers. 

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