Categories: World

Two theories emerge on Chinese plane crash: Sabotage or technical failure?

<p>
Two main theories that have now emerged about why the Chinese airliner suddenly nose-dived from a cruising height of 29,000 ft and crashed into a hillside.  Experts say that it was either due to a mechanical failure or sabotage, according to a BBC report.</p>
<p>
The radar data shows the plane reaching maximum descent speeds of 31,000 ft per minute – or 157m per second.</p>
<p>
"This is extremely excessive and not something we would normally see in any sort of flight. The aircraft would have been almost vertical," BBC cited Dr Sonya Brown, an aviation expert from the University of New South Wales, as saying.</p>
<p>
Stating that there could be two reasons, Dr Brown said, “One is a catastrophic failure of the plane's horizontal tail – the part at the back which stabilises the plane and keeps it in line with the direction it's moving.</p>
<p>
That could lead to the plane tipping over as it did. "That could be something mechanically caused – for example a runaway stabiliser," she said.</p>
<p>
The other option that's increasingly being suggested among experts is sabotage.</p>
<p>
She mentioned the Germanwings Flight 9525 crash in 2015, where a co-pilot crashed an Airbus carrying 150 people into the French Alps.</p>
<p>
But she also pointed out that even then, the Germanwings aircraft only reached descent rates of 3,000-4,000ft per minute, compared to the 30,000 ft rate by which the Chinese flight plunged.</p>
<p>
"So this is a significantly,different scenario – really extreme," Dr Brown said.</p>
<p>
“Aircraft are designed to glide.., Even if all engines went out – the plane would slow down a little may be but it will just glide," she pointed out.</p>
<p>
Experts are also baffled that about 7,000-8,000 ft from the ground, there was a slight upturn, the data shows. But then the plane continued its high speed plummet to the ground which could indicate sabotage.</p>
<p>
<strong>Info about the pilots</strong></p>
<p>
There were three pilots on the plane, China Eastern officials disclosed on Wednesday. One of them was there as an observer to build up experience.</p>
<p>
The captain had 6,709 hours flying experience, while the first and second officers had 31,769 hours and 556 hours respectively.</p>
<p>
"From what we know, the performance of the three pilots had been good and their family life relatively harmonious," said airline spokesman Shangguan Xuemin.</p>
<p>
He confirmed that typically, the airline deployed only two pilots on short-haul flights as per industry practice.</p>
<p>
<strong>Black box</strong></p>
<p>
Meanwhile authorities have sent the cockpit recorder found at the crash site on Wednesday to a lab in Beijing for decoding. The black box was damaged by the impact of the crash, but the data inside appeared stable, officials said.</p>
<p>
If the plane was deliberately crashed, the cockpit voice recorder will definitely give an indication of this. </p>
<p>
The flight data recorder is yet to be recovered. This second black box will contain information control settings, air data and other technological parameters related to mechanical issues.</p>

IN Bureau

Recent Posts

Architect of India’s transition into the 21st century: PM Modi hails Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 100th birth anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari…

33 minutes ago

Gender budgeting share in total expenditure rises to 6.8% from 4.5% in 2014, up 18.9% in FY25 (YoY): RBI

India has completed 20 years of implementing gender budgeting policies, with the share of the…

47 minutes ago

Outdated infrastructure and transformer failures worsen electricity shortages in PoGB

The region of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) is enduring an escalating electricity crisis that continues to…

15 hours ago

Uyghur educational activist dies in custody of Chinese authorities

An Uyghur intellectual and education advocate, who was detained the night before his daughter's wedding…

18 hours ago

Create data-rich platform to benefit investigation officers: Amit Shah to NCRB

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has instructed the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to develop…

18 hours ago

Brazil:163 workers rescued from “slave” like conditions from Chinese EV company BYD

Brazilian authorities have rescued 163 workers from conditions similar to "slavery" at a construction site…

19 hours ago