WASHINGTON: Investigators probing the crash of a China Eastern Airlines 600115.SS jet are examining whether it was due to intentional action taken on the flight deck, with no evidence so far of a technical malfunction, two people briefed on the matter said.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Tuesday that flight data from one the Boeing 737-800's black boxes indicated that someone in the cockpit intentionally crashed the plane, citing people familiar with U.S. officials' preliminary assessment.
Boeing Co BA.N, the maker of the jet, and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) declined 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 Guangxi, after a sudden plunge from cruising altitude, killing all 123 passengers and nine crew members aboard.
It was mainland China's deadliest aviation disaster in 28 years.
The pilots did not respond to repeated calls from air traffic controllers and nearby planes during the rapid descent, authorities have said. One source told Reuters investigators were looking at whether the crash was a "voluntary" act.
Screenshots of the Wall Street Journal story appeared to be censored both on China's Twitter-like platform Weibo and messaging app Wechat on Wednesday morning. The hashtag topics "China Eastern" and "China Eastern black boxes" are banned on Weibo, which cited a breach of relevant laws, and users are unable to share the story in group chats on Wechat.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said on April 11 in response to rumours on the internet of a deliberate crash that the speculation had "gravely misled the public" and "interfered with the accident investigation work."
China Eastern did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal said the airline had said in a statement that no evidence had emerged that could determine whether or not there were any problems with the accident aircraft. The Chinese Embassy declined to comment.
The 737-800 is a widely flown predecessor to Boeing's 737 MAX but does not have the systems that have been linked to fatal 737-MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that led to a lengthy grounding of the MAX.
China Eastern grounded its entire fleet of 737-800 planes after the crash, but resumed flights in mid-April in a move widely seen at the time as ruling out any immediate new safety concern over Boeing's previous and still most widely used model.
In a summary of an unpublished preliminary crash report last month, Chinese regulators did not point to any technical recommendations on the 737-800, which has been in service since 1997 with a strong safety record, according to experts.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a May 10 Reuters interview that board investigators and Boeing had traveled to China to assist the Chinese investigation. She noted that the investigation to date had not found any safety issues that would require any urgent actions.
Homendy said if the board has any safety concerns it will "issue urgent safety recommendations."
The NTSB assisted Chinese investigators with the review of black boxes at its U.S. lab in Washington.
Shares of Boeing closed up 6.5%.
A final report into the causes could take two years or more to compile, Chinese officials have said. Analysts say most crashes are caused by a cocktail of human and technical factors.
Deliberate crashes are exceptionally rare. Experts noted the latest hypothesis left open whether the action stemmed from one pilot acting alone or the result of a struggle or intrusion but sources stressed nothing has been confirmed.
In March 2015, a Germanwings co-pilot deliberately flew an Airbus A320 into a French mountainside, killing all 150 on board.
French investigators found the 27-year-old was suffering from a suspected "psychotic depressive episode," concealed from his employer. They later called for better mental health guidelines and stronger peer support groups for pilots.
Reuters
Wed May 18 2022
![China Eastern crash probe eyes intentional action - Sources China Eastern crash probe eyes intentional action - Sources](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-05/71652835682_CHINA.jpg)
Rescue workers work at the site where a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Kunming to Guangzhou crashed, in Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China March 24, 2022. - REUTERS/Filepic
Tumpuan Isnin – 08 Julai 2024
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan di Astro AWANI.
'Jeff' dinobat siput terpantas dunia, menang Kejohanan Dunia Lumba Siput
Tahun ini, siput bernama Jeff dinobatkan sebagai pemenang, menang saingan akhir dengan masa 4 minit dan 3 saat. Begitupun, kepantasan Jeff tidak dapat memadam rekod yang dibuat pada tahun 1995 oleh seekor siput bernama Archie.
![Pentadbiran Prabowo-Gibran dijangka perkukuh industri sawit Indonesia Pentadbiran Prabowo-Gibran dijangka perkukuh industri sawit Indonesia](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81720368598_TBPrabowo.jpg)
Pentadbiran Prabowo-Gibran dijangka perkukuh industri sawit Indonesia
Kerajaan baharu yang akan dipimpin oleh Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka dijangka memperkukuh daya saing produk minyak sawit sebagai komoditi strategik untuk pasaran domestik dan antarabangsa.
![Kanak-kanak lelaki maut selepas terjatuh ke dalam tasik Kanak-kanak lelaki maut selepas terjatuh ke dalam tasik](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-01/61706067730_TBgarisanpolis.jpg)
Kanak-kanak lelaki maut selepas terjatuh ke dalam tasik
Seorang kanak-kanak lelaki berusia sembilan tahun maut selepas terjatuh ke dalam tasik dipercayai ketika sedang mencari lokan di Taman Tasik Teratai Fasa 2 Serendah, Hulu Selangor.
Ribuan umat Islam zahir solidariti kepada Palestin di Shah Alam
Bertemakan Gaza Bangkit, program pada Ahad malam itu turut mengundang pendakwah dari Indonesia, Ustaz Abdul Somad Batubara untuk menyampaikan ceramah.
NGO, belia perlu ambil iktibar peristiwa hijrah - PM
Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menyeru pertubuhan bukan kerajaan dan gerakan belia mengambil iktibar daripada peristiwa Hijrah Nabi Muhammad SAW untuk mengembalikan kegemilangan negara.
Kehadiran ATM di Timur Sabah berikan keyakinan masyarakat setempat
Kehadiran pasukan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) di Timur Sabah meningkatkan keyakinan masyarakat setempat serta merancakkan lagi pembangunan sektor pelancongan, ekonomi dan sosial di kawasan itu.
![Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-12/61703329565_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Ahad, 7 Julai 2024.
![Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/71709993909_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Ahad, 7 Julai 2024.
Enam cedera hari pertama Festival Larian Lembu di Sepanyol
Meskipun ada yang cedera, acara tersebut sentiasa mendapat perhatian dan tahun ini, ratusan orang mengejar enam ekor lembu jantan di bandar itu.
![Laluan udara baharu hubungkan Nanjing, Kuala Lumpur Laluan udara baharu hubungkan Nanjing, Kuala Lumpur](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/41710635422_TBChinaEasternAirli.jpg)
Laluan udara baharu hubungkan Nanjing, Kuala Lumpur
Penerbangan pergi dijadual berlepas pada 10.50 malam dan mendarat di Kuala Lumpur pada pukul 4.40 petang waktu tempatan hari berikutnya.
![Malaysia sambut penerbangan sulung China Eastern Airlines dari Kunming Malaysia sambut penerbangan sulung China Eastern Airlines dari Kunming](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/41710635422_TBChinaEasternAirli.jpg)
Malaysia sambut penerbangan sulung China Eastern Airlines dari Kunming
Laluan baharu China Eastern Airlines menghubungkan Kunming - Kuala Lumpur itu menggunakan pesawat Airbus A320neo dengan kapasiti 148 penumpang.
![China Eastern Airlines sambung operasi pesawat Boeing China Eastern Airlines sambung operasi pesawat Boeing](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-04/81650244286_ChinaPlaneCrash.jpg)
China Eastern Airlines sambung operasi pesawat Boeing
Ujian penerbangan turut dilakukan ke atas semua pesawat sebelum menyambung perkhidmatan komersil.
![Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/61648036783_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
![Nahas China Eastern Airlines: Kotak hitam kedua pesawat MU5735 ditemui Nahas China Eastern Airlines: Kotak hitam kedua pesawat MU5735 ditemui](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/71648214268_TBCHINASEARCH.jpg)
Nahas China Eastern Airlines: Kotak hitam kedua pesawat MU5735 ditemui
Pasukan pencari menemukan kotak hitam kedua pesawat China Eastern Airlines, MU5735, lapor CCTV pada Ahad.
![Nahas China Eastern Airlines: China sahkan semua 132 mangsa maut Nahas China Eastern Airlines: China sahkan semua 132 mangsa maut](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/61648314258_TBCHINABLACKBOX.jpg)
Nahas China Eastern Airlines: China sahkan semua 132 mangsa maut
Ibu pejabat tindak balas kecemasan negara untuk kemalangan pesawat MU5735 membuat pengumuman itu selepas enam hari usaha mencari dan menyelamat habis-habisan.
![Nahas MU5735: Media China tarik balik laporan 'kotak hitam kedua ditemukan' Nahas MU5735: Media China tarik balik laporan 'kotak hitam kedua ditemukan'](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/41648178679_ChinaEasternAirlin.jpg)
Nahas MU5735: Media China tarik balik laporan 'kotak hitam kedua ditemukan'
Berita 'penemuan' kotak hitam kedua itu pertama kali dilaporkan pada Jumaat oleh CAAC News, sebuah akhbar dikendalikan oleh Pentadbiran Penerbangan Awam China.
![Nahas China Eastern Airlines: Kotak hitam dari pesawat ditemui Nahas China Eastern Airlines: Kotak hitam dari pesawat ditemui](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/71648028104_TBCHINABLACKBOX.jpg)
Nahas China Eastern Airlines: Kotak hitam dari pesawat ditemui
Penyiasat penerbangan China mengesahkan telah menemui kotak hitam menyimpan suara kokpit pesawat dan data penerbangan China Eastern Airlines yang terhempas pada Isnin lalu, lapor portal berita Xinhua.
![Usaha jejaki kotak hitam pesawat China Eastern Airlines diteruskan Usaha jejaki kotak hitam pesawat China Eastern Airlines diteruskan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/51647997471_SearchBlackBox.jpg)
Usaha jejaki kotak hitam pesawat China Eastern Airlines diteruskan
Pasukan penyiasat sedang menjalankan siasatan penuh mengikut prosedur dengan anggota meninjau lokasi nahas untuk mengesan kotak hitam.
![Nahas China Eastern Airlines: Lebih 11,000 penerbangan di China dibatalkan Nahas China Eastern Airlines: Lebih 11,000 penerbangan di China dibatalkan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2017-06/61497846949_ChinaEasternAirlines.jpg)
Nahas China Eastern Airlines: Lebih 11,000 penerbangan di China dibatalkan
Angka pada Selasa merupakan yang tertinggi tahun ini dan dua kali ganda jumlah yang dicatatkan pada awal bulan ini.