New report indicates China plane crash intentional

International

FUEL supply was cut off mid-flight that caused a Boeing 737 to crash into a Chinese hillside, according to a new US report.

The findings support a theory that the crash, which killed all 132 people on board, was done on purpose.

In a report by BBC, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the fuel switches on both engines of the China Eastern flight were moved to the cut off position while the plane was cruising at 29,000 feet.

The crash is China's deadliest air disaster in decades. But the cause has long remained a mystery. China has yet to release a final report, citing national security concerns.

The NTSB report said the plane's engine speeds decreased after the fuel switch movement. Fuel switches are controls that regulate fuel flow into engines. Pilots use them to start or shut down engines.

The data came from one of the plane's black boxes recovered from the wreckage and sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington for analysis.

In March 2022, the jetliner left Kunming and was supposed to land in Guangzhou. It had been in the air for over an hour and was nearing its destination when it suddenly dropped from cruising height.

Flight tracking data showed the plane fell thousands of meters in under three minutes. It went from 29,100 feet to 9,075 feet in just over two minutes.

China's Civil Aviation Authority led the investigation because the crash happened in China and involved a Chinese airline. But the NTSB helped because the Boeing 737 was made in the US.

Investigators looked at several possible causes. These included deliberate action, pilot error, technical problems, structural failure or a mid air collision.

Air controllers repeatedly called the aircraft during its descent but got no response.(Jene-V N. Sayson, BAEL-ELSD CTU-TC TUBURAN)