Last week on Monday, a China Eastern 737-800 crashed in the Guanxi region of China. The plane apparently went into a steep nosedive at cruising altitude. Before crashing into the mountains of Gunaxi, the plane was at a literal 90 degree angle. No plane I know has the capability to do a steep nosedive.
My theory is that the rudder had some structural issues, which made it fall off, just like American 587 in 2001. This would explain the near-impossible nosedive. The tail adds a little more weight to the back of the airplane. So if the rudder fell off, there would be an unequal distibution of weight on the plane. Even if you trimmed the aircraft, it would be impossible to right it. So my theory explains the nosedive that is impossible unless the rudder came off. Another hing is that Chinese authorities found a piece of aircraft six miles from the crash site. This means that the plane was shedding parts, most likely the rudder prior to the crash.
The pilots of the plane were very experienced. The captain had more than 6,000 hours of flight time. The first officer was amongst one of China's most experienced pilots, with a total of exactly 31,769 hours of flight time. For comparison, that's four YEARS of his life this guy spent more that 5,000 feet from the ground.
The aircraft involved in the accident pictured here in Dhaka
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