SaturnV:
takata, there is one problem with your analysis of the SHOM chart (I assume you are referring to the chart in post 3138) and the initial northward drift of bodies and wreckage that you calculated occurred between June 1 and 5. This drift lies within an area that was repeatedly overflown and searched by the Brazilian Air Force over this period, and nothing was recovered belonging to the plane.
Right. But what those maps are showing is the theoretical search considering the SAR flight plans for the aircraft involved and their theoretical range of detection.
It doesn't picture in any way how many times they flew above each area, what the aircraft crews actually were able to spot/detect because of the bad weather, luminosity, and plenty of other parameters. But maybe you are not very familiar with this kind of operation and it is pretty hard to see something fairly immersed like aircraft wreckage (or victims) when flyng at 200 kts above the sea for very long hours. A good example of the difficulty is when they tried to relocate some wreckage they spoted the day before without success during several days. Certainly, they would not have missed embarcations with survivors, but the wreckage... this is another story.
(Moreover, the SHOM map for the 5th is clearly pointing a very eastern surface current at the location where the bodies were recovered June 6, but their actual drift was still full North for 5 consecutive days...)
S~
Olivier