Hmmm...So Widmore would have been looking for the plane, because he heard that a plane disappeared over the Pacific. Sounds fishy to him, might be evidence to the island's whereabouts, sends out a team....
but what is the Christiana doing poking around in the Sunda Trench when the flight route of 815--even with a detour--is thousands of miles east? What would make Ben think that Widmore will look there, of all places? Or...do I have it wrong, was the Christiana part of Widmore's thing or was it independent? (I forget, and that never makes for good discussions, only more questions, sorry!)
I think when Des blew the hatch, that's when Widmore picked up on the location. I can't remember if that was before or after the wreckage was found. It does make more sense that Ben planted it, and I have thought that all along, I'm just trying to argue (at least with myself, lol!) about the details, because some things still seem fuzzy.
Officially the Christiane was looking for remains of the Black Rock in the Sunda Trench.
Widmore was the one to put people on the Oceanic flight, at least Locke through Abbadon.
And because he met Locke and Sawyer in 1954, he knew they would survive.
Maybe he planted the plane to avoid that family would start investigating about the flight and come to him.
