When the aircraft climbed to 4500 feet in the corridor, the captain, after receiving two wrong affirmative answers from the first officer that the required altitude should be 1500 feet, thought that the aircraft was 3000 feet too high. The captain then pushed the control column abrubtly and roughly forward causing the MD-11 to enter a rapid descent. Both crew members tried to recover from the dive, but were unable. The airplane crashed into an industrial development zone 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of Hongqiao airport. The plane plunged to the ground, plowing into housing for migrant workers and exploded.
Something I observed a long time ago, the old ex-military Korean pilots are both abrupt in mannerism and aircraft control. I was almost always jerked up from from my after landing snooze ( whilst dead- heading ) when they slam on the brakes whilst docking in on the VDGS. When they see the red light illuminating, it's slam on the brakes! When they get a real TCAS RA, it's another abrupt maneuver. When they suddenly detect an upper cruise level speed excursion, it is usually another abrupt reaction.
So the cause of the above MD 11 at ZSSS as described was certainly plausible.