Originally Posted by
lapp
Obsviously it didn't, I believe Iran is trying to leverage the fact that "it turned -period-", incidentally toward the base which had been identified very early, and from where with good likeliness the missile was fired.
That just to beef up the excusing factors. Clearly it turned after impact, but the "detail" that it happened as a consequence is left out. Remember their communications are largely destined to be absorbed only domestically.
Then with time this "detail" will lose any importance and become forgotten. Their task ahead is to bring this to closure quickly, so I don't expect they will be to disputing further, now the general attention must be shifted away from this very sad accident.
posted by fox_niners before
Exactly, it turned AFTER impact. Let us assume that it was hit by one or more SAM missile, or equivalent projectile, depending on point of explosion there is a significant chance that at least part of a wing would have been lost - the fire indicates ruptured fuel tanks - with the consequent impact on the ability of the crew to maintain any flight control, even if they had any control left whatsoever depending on whether the cockpit systems were still viable, or still attached to the rest of the fuselage even (consider Lockerbie). So a significant deviation of flight path as the plane descended towards the ultimate crash site is to be expected.