Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

The cockpit voice recorder from the China Eastern Airlines 737-800 airliner that crashed on March 21 has arrived at National Transportation Board laboratories in Washington, D.C. for downloading by U.S. investigators, the NTSB confirmed with AIN on Monday.

 


Search crews found the heavily damaged voice recorder two days after the crash, which killed all 132 people on board. On March 27 firefighters found the flight data recorder, which Chinese officials said also suffered significant exterior damage. However, an official with the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) said that the internal workings of the CVR escaped relatively unscathed, according to Chinese state-controlled media.

 


In an April 1 Twitter post, the NTSB confirmed it had sent a team of its investigators to China, along with Boeing representatives, to assist in the probe. The board added that investigators will limit interactions with those not involved in the investigation in a manner similar to safety protocols at the Beijing Olympics, allowing them to begin work immediately without quarantine.

 


The Boeing 737-800 has departed Kunming in southwestern China to Guangzhou&nbsp;but lost contact over the city of Wuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Surveillance footage showed the jet in a nearly direct nosedive into terrain. According to data from flight tracking site FlightRadar24, MU5735 began to quickly lose altitude while cruising at 29,100 feet and descended to about 9,000 feet in just over two minutes. FlightRadar24’s last altitude indication shows the airplane at 3,225 feet.

 


The CAAC on March 30 said it had begun a two-week inspection campaign across the Chinese aviation industry under orders from President Xi Jinping and central government leaders. The inspection aims to further strengthen awareness of what the CAAC called “bottom lines” and “to troubleshoot safety hazards in the civil aviation field to guarantee higher-level safety of aviation operations and people’s lives.”

 


The inspection covers regional air traffic management bureaus, airlines, service provider companies, airport companies, and flight training institutions and focuses on safety awareness, the building of professional teams, implementation of rules and standards, safety management chains, safety support capabilities, and fulfillment of safety responsibilities.

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

Cockpit Voice Recorder from China Eastern 737 Sent to U.S. 

U.S. accident investigator NTSB confirms it has received the CVR from China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 for downloading.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Amy Wilder

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Pilot died of cardiac arrest during the flight

NTSB: Pax Safely Lands King Air after Pilot Collapsed

Vehicle also struck parked ground-support tractor; there were no injuries

Teen Driver Breaches Fence, Hits PlaneSense PC-12 at KPSM

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

Six fatal accidents resulted in 22 fatalities in the quarter

NBAA Report Flags Powerplant, Collision Risks in Q2 Data

Curt Epstein

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Twenty years ago, a business jet and commerical airliner collided; the smaller airplane survived

Remembering a Solemn Anniversary: the Amazon Midair 

David Jack Kenny

Preliminary and final accident reports, September 2026

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: September 2026

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

More In Accidents

NTSB: Pax Safely Lands King Air after Pilot Collapsed

Pilot died of cardiac arrest during the flight

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Vehicle also struck parked ground-support tractor; there were no injuries

NBAA Report Flags Powerplant, Collision Risks in Q2 Data

Six fatal accidents resulted in 22 fatalities in the quarter

Remembering a Solemn Anniversary: the Amazon Midair

Twenty years ago, a business jet and commerical airliner collided; the smaller airplane survived

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: September 2026

Preliminary and final accident reports, September 2026

NTSB Cites Heliport Misidentification in Aug. 2025 Crash

Captain opted out of instrument approach over autopilot concerns

Fire of Unknown Origin Led to 2024 Citation X Accident

NTSB: Ignition source could not be conclusively identified

NTSB: Bell 206L Damage Caused by Aeroelastic Interaction

Helicopter experienced a vertical hop for which the pilot didn’t know the recovery procedure

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