BEIJING: China’s aviation regulator said that investigators were still looking into the cause of the crash of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735, almost a year after the plane came down, killing all 132 people on board.

The Boeing 737-800 crashed into a mountainous region in the southwestern Guangxi region on March 21, 2022, in China’s deadliest aviation disaster in 28 years.

On the eve of the anniversary, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued on Monday a three-paragraph statement that provided little detailed information and no data from the plane’s so-called “black boxes” that would offer clues into its sudden plunge from cruising altitude.

“Because the accident is very complicated and extremely rare, the investigation is carrying on in an in-depth manner,” the CAAC said, adding that experts had inspected more than 100 pieces of wreckage.

“Following on this, the technical investigation team will continue to carry out work such as cause analysis, experiments and verification, and will release relevant information in a timely manner according to the investigation’s progress.”

International Civil Aviation Organization rules require countries probing plane crashes to make a final report publicly available within 12 months or, if not possible, to publish an interim statement on each anniversary.

 - Reuters