There are several ways the main fuselage could have ended in its final position. That's why it's a puzzle. The only thing we can be confident of is that it didn't happen as the CAB report describes.
Originally Posted by
G0ULI
It all comes down to whether the final disposition of the tail section had any relevance to the accident and I can't see that it does. Why add additional complication to the report when it isn't necessary?
There was no need at all. The investigators could have said that the main body traveled an additional 820 feet and then burned. There would have been no grounds for criticism, no hint that they misunderstood. But instead they made an explicit statement which is so egregiously wrong that an amateur can see it. That's what makes this strange.
It doesn't come down to whether their error focused on the root cause or not. My subject is not the root cause, it's the impact sequence. Within that subject, the CAB error is a smoking gun that says they did not understand what happened and apparently did not care very much to know. I have to believe that among the CAB team there were at least some who were protesting, shaking their heads over this foolish statement. Why did they not prevail?
Further, they made this erroneous statement on the day of the crash. The Chicago Trib reporter and artist didn't make up that image which so perfectly matches the CAB story. The CAB investigators told them that long before they could have known whether it would have any implication on the root cause.
Once you start evaluating the different modes by which the main body might have ended where it did, you may realize that some of those modes have a huge implication on how the plane was poised and how it hit. If the main body arrived as my latest sim run illustrated, then there can not have been a high bank or cartwheel. If the main body arrived by sliding, then a cartwheel is possible. It's a puzzle.
Remember, all of this information was being manually transcribed and typed up. No computers or word processors to do a quick cut and paste edit. Every page had to be typed with carbon paper or a stencil to produce multiple copies for distribution.
I know; I have one of the original carbons. I don't think you're suggesting they would knowingly leave an error in their official report in order to save a typist some time. When I had the services of a staff of typists I didn't beat them over the head with extra work, and gave them canned paragraphs to simplify dictation, but I sure wouldn't let any errors pass by.