The jet was traveling at close to the speed of sound just before it slammed into a hillside. Such an impact may complicate investigators’ task because it can obliterate evidence and damage data recorders. China Eastern Airlines flight failed to respond to calls from air-traffic controllers after tipping into a deadly nosedive.
Rough terrain and the state of the aircraft, which plunged from about 29,000 feet (8,840 meters), make the effort difficult. The Boeing Co. 737-800 was knifing through the air at more than 640 miles per hour.
“It was coming down speed” at near-instantaneous speed, an expert who reviewed the flight data says. “The preliminary data indicate it was near the speed of sound,” said John Hansman, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology astronautics and aeronautics professor.
Sound travels at 761 mph at sea level but slows to 663 mph at 35,000 feet. The jet carrying 132 people crashed near Wuzhou in southern China on Monday killing all aboard.
