Thanks Cyclic for that link to AW (I hope life is treating you well in the Great Wilderness!). At least one responsible publication appears to be keeping an eye on the ball. Their lesser body angle figures, taken no doubt from clearer evidence copy than I had, and load factor estimates, add weight to my initial suspicions if correct.
I wonder if others would agree that periodic "inspections" are an unsatisfactory alternative to a proper, ongoing fatigue-monitoring program (as mentioned by MaxProp, myself and others), when these airframes are being subjected to such demanding operating conditions.
As for "Several years ago, a crack was found in the lower left panel of the wing center box and was repaired with a doubler" (my emphases) - any Engineers care to comment on the long-term effect of strengthening one part of a load-bearing structure?
The great God Cash should not be used as an excuse for re-learning past lessons and the loss of life.