Reportedly, the China Eastern crash probe eyes intentional action

May 19, 2022: Investigators into the crash of a China Eastern Airlines jet are examining even if it was because of the intentional action on the flight deck, with zero evidence of a technical malfunction. Two people know about the matter said.

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that flight data from one of the Boeing 737-800′s black boxes indicated that someone in the cockpit intentionally crashed the plane, which cited people familiar with the preliminary assessment of U.S. officials.

The jet maker of Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) refused to comment and referred questions to Chinese regulators.

The Boeing 737-800, en route from Kunming to Guangzhou, crashed on March 21 in the mountains of the Guangxi region after the sudden plunge from cruising altitude, killing all 123 passengers and nine crew members aboard.

It was the mainland’s deadliest aviation disaster of China in 28 years.

The authorities have said that the pilots did not respond to repeated calls from air traffic controllers and closer planes in the rapid descent. One source told Reuters investigators are looking at if the crash was a “voluntary” act.

Screenshots of the Wall Street Journal story, which shows to be censored on China’s Weibo social media platform and the messaging app known as WeChat. On Wednesday, the hashtag topics “China Eastern” and “China Eastern black boxes” banning on Weibo, which is cited as a breach of laws, and users are not able to share posts on the incident in group chats on WeChat.

The CAAC said on April 11, responding to the rumors on the internet of a deliberate crash, that the speculation had “gravely misled the public” and “interfered with the accident investigation work.”

On Wednesday, a woman concerning to be identified only by her surname, Wen, losing her husband in the crash, told Reuters that she had not seen the Wall Street Journal report but hoped the investigation results would be released soon.

Wen said she and different victims’ family members had signed an agreement with China Eastern that included a point regarding compensation. Still, she is declining to say the amount had been offered.