Forget, I think BravoMike got it in one. It would have to be a pretty robust jacking up mechanism to achieve the effect seen here. Springloaded "Jack-in-the-box" so to speak.
Wouldn't you guess that when the nosegear went over what looks more like a 5m embankment than (3-4m) the drop would - assisted by all the forward torque from the main gear brakes - hardly have been gentle. It probably wasn't going much faster than 30mph by then and I would bet a bottle of the best that the nosegear is eventually found punched up into the hold rather than folded back. Bet half another bottle that it was the extra strengthening around the cargo door that kept the forward fuselage from being more flattened.
Fuselage takes a sudden bending one way, then the other as the nose smacks down, and presto, the crack's exactly where you'd expect. Tail slams down on the embankment and, again, cracks off just where you'd expect it to.
Just hope the crews's spines held up ok.
Last edited by broadreach; 27th May 2008 at 20:33.
Reason: spelling!