Desitter wrote
My guess is that one way or the other, composites are involved here, either through direct structural failure or otherwise, and we're looking at an industry-changing event.
The lightning hypothesis still remains a possibility and will beg many questions about composite aircraft materials but any investigation requires the discovery and retrieval of the aircraft and more specifically any composite components that might have been compromised by a lightning strike.
Given the huge area that will need to be traversed and the likelihood of mid air disintegration, the chances of definitive component failure mode identification remain pretty low I think.
Given the Cb and turbulence hypothesis, other material failure modes e.g. failure under high bending moment will also, of course, feature as possible causes.
Truth is we just don't know and the thought that over 200 people have probably lost their lives is a very depressing one tonight.