The China Eastern Airlines plane crash that killed 132 people is believed to have been caused by an intentional act, according to U.S. officials who spoke to ABC News.
The Boeing 737-800 passenger jet was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21 when it plunged into a mountainous area in Guangxi, China. All 123 passengers and nine crew members were killed. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news.
The officials who spoke to ABC News point to the plane’s flaps not being engaged and landing gear not put down. The near-vertical descent of the plane, they believe, would’ve required intentional force. The plane slammed into the ground with such force that it created a 66-foot-deep hole in the ground, according to Chinese officials. Investigators also looked into one of the pilots’ personal lives and background and believe he may have been struggling through certain issues right before the crash, ABC News has learned.
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 rumors 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.
