Latest disclosed investigation data shows that the China Eastern Airlines passenger plane crash in 2022, which resulted in all 132 people on board being killed, had its fuel supply cut off during flight.
According to Bloomberg, although China has yet to release its final report on the incident, findings published this month by the US National Transportation Safety Board indicate that, while cruising at 29,000 feet, the Boeing 737's engine fuel control levers were switched to the 'cutoff' position. This action immediately cuts off the engine's fuel supply, forcing the engines to shut down.
The US National Transportation Safety Board, which assisted the official Chinese investigation, stated in a 2022 report: "After the fuel switches were moved, the engine speed decreased." This report was released under the Freedom of Information Act on May 1.
On March 21, 2022, China Eastern flight MU5735 crashed, killing 132 people. It remains the deadliest air disaster in China since 1994. Four years after the accident, a full investigation result has still not been released. In June last year, an online document, said to be from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, stated that the investigation's progress "could endanger national security and social stability" and therefore would not be made public.
Campbell, a former air safety investigator with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said shutting off jet engine fuel switches is routine after landing, but almost never done during flight, adding that the behavior appeared to be "intentional."
Campbell said: "There is no reason to shut off the engines, that’s exactly what's so unusual about this."
The operation of fuel control switches has also been a focus of the investigation into the 2025 crash of an Air India Boeing 787. That accident killed everyone on board but one; a final report has yet to be released, but investigators increasingly view deliberate pilot action as a possible cause.