BOEING, facing a new crisis after a China Easter 737 jet crashed killing all 137 aboard after a steep dive in China, prompting the airline to ground all of its troubled 737 aircraft, reports Bloomberg.
The latest incident didn't involve a Max 737. The first fatal accident occurred on December 8, 1972, when United Airlines crash landed killing 47 followed by a 737 Lion Air crash into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff, with 189 fatalities.
The latest tragedy casts a harsh spotlight on Boeing after two crashes which led to one of the longest groundings in aviation history.
The latest crash didn't involve a Max. Still, it's a setback for Boeing's efforts to rebuild confidence in its safety culture and 737 series of jets, the company's largest source of revenue.
It also jeopardises the manufacturer's recovery in China, a critical step needed to rebound from three years of financial losses. Boeing had been on the verge of returning its Max aircraft to commercial service in the country, whose regulators were the first to ground the model in 2019.
Flight MU5735 was cruising more than an hour into its flight from Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan province, to Guangzhou when it plunged sharply. In just seconds the jet went from level flight to a descent rate of almost 31,000 feet per minute, according to FlightRadar24.
But after about 45 seconds, the descent became less steep and for a few moments the jet climbed 1,000 feet. It went from 7,425 feet up to 8,600 feet in about 10 seconds, according to the FlightRadar data, which is based on information transmitted by the plane. Just as the earlier dive would have flung items to the ceiling, the climb would have created huge gravitational forces, pinning people in their seats.
The climb was short-lived. The jet resumed its dive seconds later. Its last position recorded on the FlightRadar track was at 2:22:36pm. local time, about a minute and 35 seconds after the sudden descent began. Video footage showed the aircraft plunging at a near-vertical trajectory behind a mountain side in China's Quangxi region.
SeaNews Turkey
The latest incident didn't involve a Max 737. The first fatal accident occurred on December 8, 1972, when United Airlines crash landed killing 47 followed by a 737 Lion Air crash into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff, with 189 fatalities.
The latest tragedy casts a harsh spotlight on Boeing after two crashes which led to one of the longest groundings in aviation history.
The latest crash didn't involve a Max. Still, it's a setback for Boeing's efforts to rebuild confidence in its safety culture and 737 series of jets, the company's largest source of revenue.
It also jeopardises the manufacturer's recovery in China, a critical step needed to rebound from three years of financial losses. Boeing had been on the verge of returning its Max aircraft to commercial service in the country, whose regulators were the first to ground the model in 2019.
Flight MU5735 was cruising more than an hour into its flight from Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan province, to Guangzhou when it plunged sharply. In just seconds the jet went from level flight to a descent rate of almost 31,000 feet per minute, according to FlightRadar24.
But after about 45 seconds, the descent became less steep and for a few moments the jet climbed 1,000 feet. It went from 7,425 feet up to 8,600 feet in about 10 seconds, according to the FlightRadar data, which is based on information transmitted by the plane. Just as the earlier dive would have flung items to the ceiling, the climb would have created huge gravitational forces, pinning people in their seats.
The climb was short-lived. The jet resumed its dive seconds later. Its last position recorded on the FlightRadar track was at 2:22:36pm. local time, about a minute and 35 seconds after the sudden descent began. Video footage showed the aircraft plunging at a near-vertical trajectory behind a mountain side in China's Quangxi region.
SeaNews Turkey
