Cause of Dongbang Airlines Accident, Co-Pilot's Mental Health Issue(?)

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] As rumors spread that the cause of the Eastern Airlines passenger plane (MU 5735) crash on the 21st of last month was related to the co-pilot's mental health, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) stepped in to quell the situation.

Photo by Huanqiu Shibao Capture

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According to Chinese media including the People's Daily on the 12th, black box data of the crashed aircraft was released on Chinese social networking services (SNS), and rumors are circulating that the co-pilot may be responsible for the accident.

There are also rumors online that the CAAC will require crew members to undergo mental health monitoring.

As these rumors rapidly spread on SNS, the CAAC held an emergency press conference stating that all such information is false.

Wu Sujie, Deputy Director of the Aviation Safety Office at the CAAC, explained, "The tragic accident is still under investigation," and "the cause of the accident has not yet been determined." He added, "Rumors can cause misunderstandings and undermine trust in the ongoing investigation into the cause of the accident." He also warned, "Spreading false information is against the law," and "in cooperation with public security, those who spread rumors will be held legally responsible."

Deputy Director Wu added, "We will promptly determine the cause of the accident according to laws and procedures and disclose relevant information."

Chinese media reported that pilots, cabin crew, and other aviation-related personnel in China have suffered psychological shock following the Eastern Airlines passenger plane crash.

In this regard, the CAAC stated that it is providing psychological stabilization treatment to aviation-related personnel in cooperation with airlines.

The CAAC emphasized that it pays close attention to the mental stability of crew members, including pilots, as this is one of the most important inspection tasks in aviation safety management. It also reiterated that positive results have been obtained from surveys conducted so far on aviation personnel and that there are no issues with flight safety.

Meanwhile, the Cyberspace Administration of China investigated accounts spreading conspiracy theories or rumors related to the Eastern Airlines passenger plane crash immediately after the accident and deleted 280,000 fake messages.

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