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Old 12th Aug 2009, 16:57
  #4223 (permalink)  
Hyperveloce
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
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BEA stance

Even if the BEA could get some clues about the impact conditions, and will get a more accurate view after the CEAT analysis, the BEA cannot know about pieces of the airframe it hasn't recovered, hence it would be difficult to understand how the BEA could suggest that the structural intergrity of the plane was not compromised at all. In my understanding, the BEA position is only that the plane had not suffered a mid-air break up or a major control surface failure (that would have rendered it uncontrollable) like a VS loss. There had been some speculation about a catastrophic structural failure in altitude. Given this, I don't think that the BEA interim report says that no spoiler was lost for example. But his was a young airframe.
Jeff
BEA interim report (page 72):
"leur examen visuel montre que l’avion n’a pas été détruit en vol ; il paraît
avoir heurté la surface de l’eau en ligne de vol, avec une forte accélération
verticale."
"their visual examination (of the debris) shows that the plane did not brake up in mid air ; .../..."
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