Originally Posted by
BRDuBois
I suspect they were completely connected, and collapsed in slightly different orientations when the fuselage burned through.
precisely.
Only to add that if tail/wing stopped while fully connected and in proper structural alignment, the fuel mist explosion in the fuselage (tail) section would have met resistance at the dorsal, more robust area than the sides. Such an asymmetrical release of explosive gases would have rotated the tail and twisted it into the orientation we see in the photo....hat tip to
cordwainer!