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Timeline: MU5735 crash details prompt renewed focus on fuel switch and related inquiries
A US safety board released data from the MU5735 flight indicating fuel switches moved to cutoff at cruise, with engine speeds dropping and the FDR ending before impact. The disclosure echoes a preliminary India AAIB finding on a separate Boeing 787 incident, while Chinese authorities have not published a final MU5735 report two years into the investigation.
Why It Matters
The findings highlight how deliberate fuel-control actions can lead to loss of control, and show ongoing international coordination and transparency questions as investigations proceed.
Timeline
5 Events
MU5735 data analyzed by NTSB at its Washington laboratory
May 7, 2026
The NTSB acted as the United States accredited representative for the MU5735 investigation, and the flight data recorder was sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington for analysis.
CAAC has not released MU5735 final report as of May 2026
May 7, 2026
China’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC), which led the MU5735 investigation, has not released a final report and has given no public update for more than two years.
NTSB releases MU5735 FDR data and notes on fuel switches
May 7, 2026
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released data from the Boeing 737-800’s flight data recorder, showing fuel switches on both engines moved from run to cutoff at about 29,000 ft and that engine speeds decreased after the switch. The FDR ended at about 26,000 ft with no battery backup, and power loss occurred as generators went offline. The cockpit voice recorder has a battery backup and can continue recording for at least 10 minutes after loss of aircraft generators, but its contents have not been publicly released by Chinese authorities.
AAIB preliminary findings on Air India Flight 171 (Ahmedabad) crash
June 12, 2025
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary report on Air India Flight 171, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, found fuel control switches on the Boeing 787’s engines transitioned from run to cutoff three seconds after takeoff, with engines attempting relight but insufficient altitude to recover. The crash killed 260 people, including 229 onboard.
MU5735 crash in southern China, March 2022
March 2022
A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed into a hillside in southern China in March 2022, killing all 132 people on board.