The second black box of the crashed China Eastern Airlines jet was recovered on Sunday, according to Chinese state media. Thousands of search-and-rescue personnel deployed at the crash site have been looking for clues and important pieces of information that could help in the investigation of the crash. With both black boxes recovered from the site, all eyes will now be on the investigation team to help determine the cause of the crash.

Flight data recorder found

On Sunday, the recovery crew found the second black box from the wreckage of the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 airplane that crashed while performing a flight from the southwestern city of Kunming to Guangzhou.

The flight data recorder has been sent to Beijing for examination, as reported by Chinese media. The other black box – the cockpit voice recorder – was recovered on Wednesday but looked severely damaged from impact. It was also sent to the Chinese capital for repair and coding.

The second black box was partially damaged and buried 1.5 meters (5 feet) underground. According to Zhu Tao, head of aviation safety at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the device was found approximately 40 meters (130 feet) from the point of impact. At a news conference in Guangxi, Zou gave an update about the finding, saying,

“Civil aviation investigators at the site confirmed that the storage unit of the flight data recorder has been found. Parts of the recorder were seriously damaged, but the outside of the storage unit was in fairly good condition.”

China Eastern Airlines black box
The plane's first black box - the cockpit voice recorder - was found on Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images

Piecing together the puzzle

Retrieving the data from the black boxes will be crucial to help determine what could have brought the 737 down so suddenly. The crash of flight MU5735, killing all 132 onboard, is the deadliest on Chinese soil in almost three decades.

While a final report on the accident is likely to take months, the nature of the crash has given rise to several theories, including mid-air structural disintegration and sabotage. Just shy of 7 years, the aircraft itself wasn't too old, and the type (Boeing 737-800) enjoys a good safety record.

But it is the sudden and drastic nosedive of the plane following a seemingly routine flight that has puzzled aviation experts. Data from FlightRadar24.com suggests that the aircraft was cruising at 29,100 feet when the event started. From then on, the plane went straight for the ground, except for a brief moment of recovery, traveling at an enormous speed and losing around 20,000 feet of altitude in just 77 seconds.

boeing building (1)
Boeing resumed 787 Dreamliner deliveries in August following production problems. Photo: Getty Images

Reputations at stake

Last week's crash has brought the focus back on several issues around flight safety, including the plane's maintenance records and the integrity of the aircraft type itself. It should be noted that the 737-800 has been one of the safest narrowbodies to fly across the world.

Still, an incident like this is likely to keep Boeing on its toes. The planemaker is only just recovering from the damage done to its reputation by the crashes of the 737 MAX airplanes. It is also struggling to keep the delivery commitments of its Dreamliners following production and certification delays.

Because a US-made plane was involved in the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has put together a team of technical experts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing to assist the investigation in China.

Hopefully, the two black boxes will shed some light on the chain of events that led to the tragic crash on March 21st.

Source: Reuters