Intentional act?

More information has come to light about the circumstances surrounding the May 7 crash of a China Northern Airlines MD-82 twinjet (see ASW, June 10). The in- flight fire may not have been caused by a malfunction of the aircraft. There is no evidence of burned wiring. No smoke of any smell of burning materials occurred prior to breakout of flames, according to sources. The rate at which the fire spread was too rapid to have been caused by faulty wiring. The heaviest area of burn was around Row 28, where the seat cushions showed evidence of the presence of a fire "accelerant," possibly gasoline. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which is assisting the Chinese in the investigation, has sent samples of the burned upholstery to a laboratory for analysis. China's equivalent of the U.S. FBI is looking into the possibility that this disaster was an intentional act.

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