An observation
At time 01:35:15 AFR447 calls ACC-AO with a position report giving time at INTOL, FL and estimates for SALPU and ORARO and requesting a SELCALL check.
At time 01:35:38 ACC-AO: "Acionamento do código SELCALL" [SELCALL check confirmed].
At time 01:35:43 AFR447 transmits: "AIR FRANCE FOUR FOUR SEVEN, thank you" (for SELCALL check).
At time 01:35:46 ACC-AO welcomes AFR447 and requests estimate for TASIL.
During the following 28 seconds ACC-AO requests estimate from AFR447 for TASIL 3 additional times without any reply from AFR 447.
At this time AFR447 was well within the approx. 200nm VHF range from Fernando de Noronha and even if VHF communications were lost, providing that AFR447 heard ACC-AO's estimate request for TASIL would a professional crew such as the AFR447's one not have made contact by HF providing the requested TASIL estimate?
What event at or around time 01:35:46 could have prevented the AFR447's crew from responding to the reiterated request from ACC-AO?
It has been mentioned that three other flightcrew were interviewed flying within 30 minutes of AFR447 (+ - 30 min. or + - 15 min.?) and that these deviated from tract by 10 to 80 kilometres whereas AFR447 appears to have flown on track (see PDF page 11 of the French BEA Prelim. Report) placing the aircraft in the middle of severe CB surroundings from which the other three aircraft had deviated.
Could the 02:10 event be secondary to an earlier event leaving the crew incapacitated at that time?