According to an aviation analyst, the China crash involving a Boeing 737 is unprecedented due to the aircraft's stellar safety record.

• An aviation analyst stated that the crash of an aircraft like China Eastern's Boeing 737-800 in midflight is "unprecedented," citing the plane's excellent safety record.
• According to Alex Macheras, an independent aviation analyst, while air travel is generally the safest mode of transportation, recent incidents in China have been particularly severe. This was stated on CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Tuesday.
• As of Tuesday morning, no bodies or survivors have been found from the crash of a domestic flight in Guangxi that nose-dived Monday afternoon, carrying 132 people.

An aviation analyst stated that the crash of an aircraft like Boeing 737-800 in midflight is highly unusual, given its excellent safety record.

According to Alex Macheras, an independent aviation analyst, while air travel is generally the safest mode of transportation, recent incidents in China have been particularly severe. This was stated on CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Tuesday.

The sudden descent was unprecedented, particularly from a cruising altitude. It occurred during the safest phase of the flight, which is why immediate answers are required to determine the cause.

As of Tuesday morning, no bodies or survivors have been discovered from the crash, according to Chinese state media.

On Monday afternoon, a domestic flight with 132 passengers crashed in the southern region of Guangxi.

The plane descended rapidly, losing contact after falling more than 25,000 feet in about two minutes.

The 737-800 that crashed in China on Monday was not a Boeing 737 Max, the plane that was grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. China was one of the first countries to ground the 737 Max after the second of the two crashes.

Aircraft’s safety record

Macheras stated that the aircraft involved was a 737-800, which is a very young 6-year-old aircraft with an excellent safety record worldwide.

The aircraft being discussed is the entire fleet of Ryanair's European low-cost airline. It is also used by American Airlines, Qantas, FlyDubai, Ethiopian, and KLM, and is capable of performing in challenging conditions.

Over 4,200 Boeing 737-800s are in use globally, with 1,177 of them belonging to Chinese airlines.

An investigation and rescue teams have been ordered by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the site of the crash in the remote, hilly area.

According to Sheila Kahyaoglu, an aerospace and defense analyst at Jefferies, the aircraft's safety record suggests that something unusual likely occurred during the flight.

"Despite the aircraft's safety record, with only nine fatal accidents in 25 years, I highly doubt it's a manufacturer's issue," she said on CNBC on Tuesday.

Kahyaoglu acknowledged that it is too early to make a conclusion about the incident, but he suggested that "something abnormal" may have occurred since the aircraft has had a good safety record so far.

Search for the ‘black box’

The National Transportation Safety Board appointed an investigator for the crash of a U.S.-made jet.

The investigators will focus on retrieving the "black boxes" to obtain cockpit voice recordings and flight data, while also examining the aircraft's past flights, maintenance records, weather data, and pilot health.

The black box will lead investigators to the correct direction in their search for answers, as Macheras stated.

The unexplained nature of the crash will leave many regulators questioning the role of the aircraft. Investigators will be focused on ruling out any possible causes, but the black box will ultimately hold the most significant impact.

— CNBC’s Evelyn Cheng and Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.