Flight 3943 departed Guangzhou on a 55-minute flight to Guilin . During the descent towards Guilin , at an altitude of , the captain attempted to level off the plane by raising the nose . The plane 's autothrottle was engaged for descent , but the crew did not notice that the number 2 power lever was at idle . This led to an asymmetrical power condition . The airplane rolled to the right , and the crew was unable to regain control . At 07:52 , the plane crashed into a mountain in the sparsely populated Guangxi region . It was the deadliest accident involving a Boeing 737-300 at the time , as well as the deadliest on Chinese soil ; , it is still the second-deadliest accident in both of those categories , behind Flash Airlines Flight 604 , and China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303 , respectively . It is also the accident with the highest number of fatalities involving a China Southern Airlines aircraft
China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303
China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303
China Southern Airlines Flight 3943