AF447

[The Chaser]

ttcse

Again agreed!

There are other examples (beyond the two you cite) where an intact airframe has structurally failed on impact with water at various speeds.

The thing that sticks in my mind (although I would be happy to be challenged as an open mind is critical in such circumstances) is that most all structurally intact fuselage's retain most of the items within during impact save for the odd bit of non-structural cowling doors etc. Sure, some small unsecured items onboard might be ejected intact through fuselage breaches during deceleration and remain largelly undamaged. I would at first glance (and that is all it is at this point) suggest an almost complete unoccupied (seats) partition bulkhead would not fit this description, nor is the reported condition of those found.


I agree that if the fuselage has been breached at altitude (for whatever reason), it would have to breach in a fairly localised fashion for this type of debris footprint, which is possible of course, given the first breach will have to deal with the pressure differential outflow if it occured at high level. The remainder of the fuse may have remained intact, or, later in the sequence (under torsional loads) breached in other locations.