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Old 3rd Jun 2009, 06:14
  #633 (permalink)  
Phalanger
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Australia
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While many people keep going on about how this was explosive, the initial messages sent by the aircraft were not about de-pressurisation. They were about electrical/systems failures. Unless there is other evidence, the de-pressurisation should be viewed as a result, not a cause of the failures (eg. bombs, cargo, holes formed in the hull by lightening etc). Even now the initial quotes of depresserisation has now moved to more important vertical speed warnings as the last messages. This would suggest that the aircraft was in trouble then out of control. 5kms length wise spread of pieces found over a day later would easy be done by currents, and the fact it's in length wise, not area would help add to this. From an separation at 35,000 feet you would expect a much larger area with larger pieces in different areas that had air resistance on them.



As for the lack of radio contact, if all the systems were going dead around you at once in the middle of the Atlantic, I would be a lot more worried about the aircraft and lives then sending out a dooms day message for arm chair experts.

One thing that does that does interest me is if the statement of the aircraft experiencing turbulence by Air France was from the aircraft, or by their own guesses (as they have not stated any contact made to them after the ATC messages). Maps here also suggest that at that time they were not in the main storm and AF gave a very round figure for the time. This would not be the first time AF blamed lightening and turbulence straight away. Doing so in the past moved the blame away from them in the media, and right now they have very little blame on them from the media again (seems like a very effective method, but at the cost of the whole industry).
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