US to Help China Download Cockpit Voice Recorder from Boeing Crash

Facts

• On Fri., the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that it will help China download the cockpit voice recorder from China Eastern Flight MU5735, which crashed on Mar. 21.¹
• NTSB has deployed a 3-person team to support the investigation and work alongside the Civil Aviation Admin of China.¹
• The Boeing commercial aircraft crashed en route from Kunming to Guangzhou, killing all 123 passengers and 9 crew members on board.²
• On Thurs., Chinese officials announced that the main search and rescue effort is complete after finding 49k pieces of wreckage, recovering both 'black boxes', and identifying all the victims through DNA matching.³
• As a precaution, China Eastern has grounded all 223 of its Boeing 737-800s, claiming that this isn't an indication of any issues with the planes.²
• As required by UN protocols, a preliminary report will be released within 30 days of the crash, and a full report is expected within 12 mos.³

Sources: ¹CTVNews, ²NBC and ³Bloomberg.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Chicago Tribune. This tragedy unfortunately may be but the latest in Boeing's recent string of malfunctions. Pressure from its rival, Airbus, has likely given the company financial incentive to cut corners, and travelers are right to remain distrustful. Although it may be too soon to know what caused the crash, Boeing needs to prove that it values safety over profit.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Washington Post. The 737-800 that crashed is one of the safest and most widely used aircraft in the world. There's been no indication of foul play or negligence, and the investigation must be led with facts. Chinese authorities are rightfully using caution in the face of the ongoing investigation and will share details when the root cause of the crash is determined.