Rescuers search the site of a recent plane crash in Tengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 28, 2022. Search work at the site of the recent plane crash in south China is continuing after the second black box was found on Sunday, an official said at a press briefing on Monday afternoon.(Photo: Xinhua)

  Major onsite investigations for crashed flight MU5735 have been completed, an official confirmed on Thursday, adding decoding of the aircraft’s two black boxes is still underway.

Zhu Tao, director of the aviation safety office under the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) made the remarks at a press conference near the crash site in Wuzhou, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, the search and rescue site for the crash had already encompassed 400,000 square meters, with 49,117 items of aircraft debris recovered.

The preliminary investigation report on crashed MU5735 will be completed within 30 days of the incident, Zhu said, citing regulatory guidelines, with a full report to be released to the public when the final investigation is completed.

At present, preliminary analysis has been carried out, Zhu said, adding that an analysis team has been trying to restore the plane’s exact flight path leading up to the incident, including obtaining photographic evidence of the crash site, distribution of the wreckage and other impact traces, in addition to analysis of the impact force itself. 

The search for the two black boxes was completed within seven days, with identification and DNA verification of all the passengers lost in the crash completed in eight days.

China's civil aviation industry is conducting an industry wide safety review, which will focus on ferreting out hidden risks to ensure the safety of the flying public.

Global Times