Regarding the China Eastern Airlines crash, all this "information" is false!

Around 14:38 on March 21

China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735

During the Kunming-Guangzhou mission

Lost contact and crashed over Wuzhou City, Guangxi

There were 123 passengers on board

Crew: 9 people

After the accident

Various news began to spread on the Internet

Many of these have been proven to be false

This "information" is fake!

1

China Eastern Airlines MU5735

First-person footage of the crash leaked?

On the afternoon of March 21, a Boeing 737 passenger plane MU5735 of China Eastern Airlines crashed near Wuzhou, Guangxi while performing a Kunming-Guangzhou flight mission. After the accident, a 10-second video was circulated on major social platforms at home and abroad, which was allegedly taken by a passenger of MU5735 before the plane crashed.

Screenshot of the video circulating online

The video is shot from the window in the first person perspective. At about 8 seconds, the plane seems to be shaking violently, accompanied by screams from passengers. In the video circulated online, there are three-color fan-shaped logos printed on the wings of the plane, which are green, yellow and red from top to bottom. The China Eastern Airlines logo is composed of red and blue, and looks like a flying swallow, which is quite different from the aircraft logo in the image. Therefore, it can be inferred that the two planes are not from the same airline. Given that green, yellow and red are the colors of the Ethiopian flag, a search on Google around the keyword "Ethiopian airlines crash" shows that in March 2019, a Boeing 737 of Ethiopian Airlines also had a major crash. In the description column, the blogger specifically stated that although the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines ET302 was not fictional, this video cannot truly reflect the situation at the scene of the accident, but is only a simulation.

It can be seen that the "first-person perspective image of the crash of China Eastern Airlines MU5735" circulated on the Internet is misleading. It is actually a simulated image of the Ethiopian Airlines ET302 air crash uploaded by YouTube blogger "Bull Bosphorus". In March 2019, ET302 crashed while performing a flight mission from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, killing 157 people.

2

Rumor has it online that China Eastern Airlines is cutting down on aircraft maintenance costs?

Some online self-media claimed that China Eastern Airlines strictly controlled maintenance costs and reduced costs due to the pressure of huge losses of tens of billions of yuan, and attributed the crash to China Eastern Airlines' compression of aircraft maintenance costs. In response, an authoritative person from China Eastern Airlines stated that the online news was untrue. China Eastern Airlines has always been committed to providing safe and reliable maintenance engineering services. According to data disclosed in the annual report, its annual maintenance costs increased by 12% in 2021 compared with 2019.

3

Video circulating online about China Eastern Airlines plane causing forest fire?

A video believed to be the crash site of MU5735 has been widely circulated. In the video, thick smoke and red flames are billowing out of the forest, and the background sound is a dialect.

However, many netizens pointed out in this video that this was a fire caused by ancestor worship in Fujian recently, and the accent did not match that of Wuzhou, Guangxi.

Staff of the People's Government of Guanzhuang She Ethnic Township, Shanghang County, Longyan City, Fujian Province said that they have noticed the video circulating online. The video shows a forest fire caused by ancestor worship in a local village on the 20th, not the crash site. The information circulated online is false and has been reported to the relevant departments.

4

“God’s prophecy” is coming again?

In a screenshot of a Zhihu community, an anonymous user answered the question "Can you leave a prediction for the future?" The answer was: "There will be a plane crash at the end of March 2022." The screenshot shows that the answer was given on January 1, 2022.

However, this picture was quickly confirmed to be fake news by Zhihu netizens.

5

Nearly 20 “lucky ones”?

After the crash of flight MU5735 was confirmed, two pieces of information began to circulate online: one was a text message from China Eastern Airlines reserving seats for flight MU5735, and the other was a screenshot of the refund information for flight MU5735. Later, it was reported that two people did not board the flight.

But what is puzzling is that in just one or two hours, nearly 20 people appeared on the Internet claiming that they were the "lucky ones" who did not board the plane.

After the reporter interviewed and verified with many parties, it can be confirmed that the two people who did not board the plane were Mr. Huang from Tengchong. He missed the first connecting flight from Tengchong to Kunming due to weather reasons and ultimately did not board flight MU5735.

The second person was Ms. Xin, who was the first to post a high-definition screenshot of the ticket refund. Although she deleted the Weibo post afterwards and was questioned by netizens for "riding on the popularity", she later posted again to say that she was not riding on the popularity or spreading rumors, and that it was indeed her. She also said: If it is a counterfeit, she is willing to bear all legal responsibilities.

This "information" cannot be confirmed!

1

Unconfirmed “victims”

After the accident, multiple screenshots appeared online that appeared to be discussing the identity information of some passengers.

Among them, a screenshot of a WeChat conversation showed that "there were 9 crew members on board flight MU5735, including 20 pilots." In this regard, the reporter did not see similar information from China Eastern Airlines or any other official channels, and could not confirm the authenticity of the information.

Another screenshot of a WeChat conversation showed that seven leaders of a certain company boarded the flight. However, the screenshot did not contain any contextual information, and it was impossible to track which company it belonged to. As of press time, the reporter has not found any proof of the authenticity of this information in any other channel.

2

The cause of the crash is all speculation

After every aviation accident, the public is undoubtedly most concerned about the cause of the crash. There are countless cases in the history of world aviation that show that investigating the cause of a crash is a long and complicated process. However, within less than half a day after the accident, various speculative "causes of the crash" had begun to circulate on the Internet.

A screenshot from the Internet showed that "it is said that the pilot sent the co-pilot away due to financial problems and crashed the plane." In response, Song Xinzhi, a senior aviation expert, analyzed that according to flight data, the plane crashed into the ground at high speed from a high altitude in a very short period of time, and it is almost impossible that this situation was caused by human manipulation by the pilot.

Another screenshot of a WeChat conversation showed that "the plane sent a 7500 command to the tower, which means hijacking." However, according to previous comprehensive information, the time from the loss of contact to the crash of MU5735 flight was extremely short. Some air travel apps even posted the message "arrived". When the reporter asked the airport for confirmation, no relevant information was obtained. Therefore, it can be judged that this is most likely a false message.

China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 crash

Touching everyone's heart

On-site rescue and accident cause investigation

In progress

We solemnly remind

In the face of tragedy

Please keep the bottom line of humanity

The Internet is not a lawless place

Please everyone

Do not spread rumors, do not believe in rumors, and do not spread rumors

Waiting for official news

Source: Xinhuanet Comprehensive China Internet Joint Rumor Refutation Platform