As search anf rescure operations of the crashed MU5735 are nearly
completed, the key task now is to find out the cause of the fatal
accident and a preliminary report will be completed within 30
days of the accident, a senior civil aviation safety official said
on Thursday.
"Both flight recorders, or black boxes, from the aircraft was
recovered within seven after the crash, and the identification
of all passengers was confirmed within eight days.
Currently, the key search and rescure operations are almost
concluded," Zhu Tao, head of the Civil Aviation Administration
of China's aviation safety office, said at a news conference
held in Wuzhou of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 left the southwestern
city og Kunming at 1:11 pm on March 21 with 123 passengers
and nine crew members onboard. Air traffic controllers lost
track of the plane over Wuzhou at 2:21 pm. All people
onboard were confirmed dead on Saturday.
Zhu said rescuers found more than 49,000 pieces of debris
of the aircraft, including key parts of the engines and wings,
by Wednesday. They are being disinfected, categorized and
labeled for investigation, which is the key task from
now on, he added.
"We will carry out the investigation objectively and scientifically,"
he said. "We will not miss a singe point to get to the bottom
of the cause of the accident, and restore the turth to prevent
similar accident from reoccurring."
While decoding the black boxes, investigation teams have
also conducted preliminary probe on the crash site,
pattern og the debris and impact traces to determine
the aircraft's flight path and attitude as well as the
power of impact when it approached the ground.
Also, the teams have analyzed flight date recorded by air traffic
control's system to restore the flying process of MU5735, he added.
Information on the aircraft and its cargos as well as passengers
onboard and their belongings have also been examined, Zhu said.
He added that according to international civil aviation agreements,
a preliminary report on the accident will be completed within 30
days after the crash. After all the investigations are concluded,
a full report will be made public.