On Tuesday (May 17), The Wall Street Journal quoted sources saying that a black box analysis showed that the China Eastern Airlines plane crash in Guangxi in March, which killed 132 people on board, may have been deliberately crashed. China Eastern Airlines said it had no hard evidence to support the speculation.
According to Wall Street Journal (WSJ), that data shows that someone, possibly a pilot or someone who had forced their way into the cockpit, input orders to send the Boeing 737-800 into a nosedive, cited people familiar with the probe.
What is more, WSJ pointed out that Chinese investigators have so far not indicated any problems with the aircraft or flight controls that could have caused the crash and would need to be addressed in future flights.
In response to an inquiry from the WSJ, China Eastern Airlines said that no evidence had been found to confirm that there was a problem with the aircraft. It also pointed out that allegations of someone's forced entry into the cockpit were not valid and that there was no hard evidence to support the speculation at this time.
China Eastern Airlines reiterated the statement made by its senior management in March that the pilots were in good health and family condition and that they were also in good financial health. It also stressed that "any unofficial speculation could interfere with the investigation of the incident and affect the actual progress of the global air transport industry."
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has not responded to inquiries from the Wall Street Journal so far.
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