From GordonR
Article summarises the fact that evidence is all in the FDR readout:
- Initial wild gyration of AOA sensor immediately after takeoff.
- Thereafter stable at implausibly high AOA.
- Moments before the final crash, the aircraft entered a negative-g bunt, AOA sensor flipped 180 degrees, stick shaker stopped.
Already hinted before in this thread, but the only physical explanation consistent will all of these data points is vane detachment. The event is clearly different from Lion Air, which had a constant 20 degree offset, but the end result was the same.
The other item that strongly supports the departing vane theory is the master caution anti icing alarm and AoA heat trace off at the same time.
This would not (likely) not happen if some coupling/gear inside the sensor failed