Originally Posted by kijangnim
There is a VDO about the B767 Ethiopian ditching look at it to see the effect the engines have when ditching.
There is also many videos about Hudson's ditching showing that engines, when they hit water with wings level - contrary to this B767 case, are absorbing a lot of forward energy without breaking up the airframe.
From my understanding, in AF447 case, vertical speed would have to be much higher to break it up and for causing so much compression into the lower part of the airframe (including tailfin separation, rudder damages, killing passengers, etc.).
I'm not quite sure actually how to represent accuratelly this kind of impact (a kind of slow flat spin, wings level and tail down? or with high sinking rate, first hit with tail, nose high, killing forward speed then pankaking?)... low end rudder damages are quite serious, possibly caused by tailcone's failure at impact with water. I'm waiting for the BEA's video to figure it out one day.
S~
Olivier