China plane crash: Pilots didn’t answer calls as jet dove

Pilots of a doomed China Eastern Airlines Corp. Flight 5735 failed to respond to multiple calls from Chinese air-traffic controllers after tipping into a deadly nosedive, authorities said at a press conference. Investigators are sifting through evidence to understand why the Boeing 737-800 NG plane carrying 132 people crashed in southern China on Monday. It’s too early to draw any clear judgments about the cause, a Chinese air-safety official said late Tuesday. The dive by the China Eastern jet from about 29,000 feet (8,840 m) is baffling air-crash specialists. Boeing has offered to help China’s investigation. China Eastern grounded its fleet of 737-800s, and thousands of domestic flights were canceled Tuesday across the nation. Chinese officials ordered a sweeping two-week safety review.<br/>Air traffic controllers tried multiple times to reach pilots of doomed China Eastern Flight 5735 after it tipped into a deadly dive on Monday but received no response to their calls, an official with CAAC said at a press briefing. The plane disappeared from radar screens at 2:23 p.m. local time, three minutes after it started a steep descent, the official, Zhu Tao, said at the end of the first full day of searching through the wreckage. Based on current information, Chinese officials are unable to make clear judgment about the cause of Monday’s crash, Zhu said. The CAAC ordered a sweeping two-week safety assessment that encompasses air-traffic control bureaus, airlines, airports and flight-training organizations, according to the agency’s CAAC News, which cited an official notice. <br/>