An Ill-Fated Flight

Tragedy struck without warning. When Boeing 737-800 flight MU5735 left Kunming Changshui International Airport in Yunnan Province at 1:16 p.m. on March 21, nothing was looking out of the ordinary. Kunming’s weather conditions were clear and takeoff was smooth. The China Eastern carrier in Yunnan Peacock livery, the province’s iconic animal, soared into the skies as it had done many times before since its first flight in June 2015.

The passenger flight bound for Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong Province, was supposed to be a short trip for the 132 souls onboard—123 passengers and nine crew members.