mm43
The Spoiler shown in your picture shows a typical air failure. The Spoiler, when deployed, especially in full, is a powerful lever. The force of the airstream is greatest at the trailing edge. When overloaded, the Spoiler uproots its hinges and "rolls" over its actuator, displaying its underside to the slipstream, hence the apparent upward failure.
BEA has also found that the flaps were stowed, protecting the underside of the spoiler from upward removal.
What interests me are the holes in the airside of the device. Clearly, the surface has been holed in at least three places. Nothing resembling a water flop would produce those high speed holes. My guess is that the spoiler was deployed to lose speed, but something parted the airframe ahead of it and blew those holes in it.
I would further state (guess) that the culprit may have been the Radome, having parted the nose in overspeed. If the Spoiler on the ship is the same one in the Sea, the evidence may remain, there appear to be no 'exit wounds' on the underside. If we're lucky, matching the projectile to the hole might roughly predict the two different airspeeds, instant.
bear
Last edited by bearfoil; 29th May 2010 at 14:35.