Despite Dispute, US Helps China Download Data On China Eastern Airlines Black Box That Crashed In Guangxi

China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 black box. (CGTN screenshot)

JAKARTA - The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Friday it was assisting Chinese investigators by downloading the black box data of the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet that crashed and killed all passengers and crew.

The black box data to be downloaded comes from the cockpit conversation recorder (CVR), belonging to the aircraft with flight number MU5735. The data download process will take place in the United States.

The plane crashed into a mountainside in southern China's Guangxi on March 21, killing all 132 passengers and crew, in the deadliest aviation disaster on mainland China in 28 years. Rescue crews on Sunday found a second black box, the flight data recorder, in the wreckage.

The cockpit voice recorder is likely to provide investigators with details of communications between the three pilots on the flight. China's submission of data demonstrates the urgency of the investigation, although the two countries are at odds on other matters.

The NTSB said a team of three investigators had departed for China to assist with the crash investigation. The NTSB said, "investigators will limit interaction with people outside of the investigation in line with safety protocols at the Beijing Olympics, which will allow them to start work immediately without quarantine," Reuters reported April 2.

The team included an accredited United States representative, Sathya Silva, who is a senior aviation accident investigator with the NTSB. The NTSB also said a small team from Boeing also traveled to China to assist with the investigation.

An NTSB spokesman said the US team traveled on a commercial flight. It's unclear whether the team will travel to the crash site in China or not, and for how long the team will be in China, but it could be several weeks.

Under international agreements, the NTSB has the right to participate in accident investigations, because the plane was designed and built in the United States.

On Thursday, Chinese state media said the cause of the crash should be determined as soon as possible, following a meeting of China's top decision-making body chaired by President Xi Jinping.

Information about the accident must be made public, timely and transparent, state media said in a report on a seven-person meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party, China's top leadership.

National safety inspections should also be launched to prevent as many safety accidents as possible, state media said. If the accident occurs due to negligence, not only the responsible personnel will be punished, the relevant high-ranking officials will also be investigated, state media stressed.