Crew Rest
The unit was posed for its photo oriented base down, as evident by the signage and the assumed attempt by its holders to present evidence in a reasonable way. It thus appears to have experienced catastrophic loads in a way suggestive of a Cabin deck impact from above, against a resisting Hold deck below. For purposes of discussion, I use the nautical "deck" rather than floor, to include all structures as "decking" also.
The height as seen may be the end static dimension, or represent a "rebound" to the unit that returned some of its height post impact. It also appears to have failed almost completely in the vertical. If there was a horizontal component to the impact, it must have been minimal, or the unit may have slid forward to have then be collapsed in place. How did it escape the Hold to be discovered, where was its buoyancy to remain afloat? Trapped air most likely, even in a turbulent sea. As Great Bear asks, where are cargo containers? where are film wrapped pallets, materials that are buoyant on their own? For the Galley mod to have survived, the Cabin must have opened after the module was damaged. Or somehow it escaped a collapse of the fuselage upon it? Similar in fashion to the FA seat bulkhead, tray cabinet, etc.? Thence sent into the sea? The timing and descriptions (BEA) of the inferred impact explanations are not instructive, here.
The crew rest has the look of a laminated and boxed unit. From only the photograph it appears that the laminae failed and exposed their adhesive layer, an apparent phenolic film. In my experience when laminations part, it can be indicative of an explosive failure, such that the metallic layers vibrate beyond the film's strength due to extremely dense acoustic vibration.
Please know that here I describe a simple gas and pressure relief, not a chemical or man made device. The failures are not indicative of high outside pressure, but instead higher gas pressure within, perhaps showing a collapse while closed, and reasonably hermetic. This goes to the rapidity of the failure, nothing else. I do not see a photograph of the crew rest after it was opened. Of course it was opened. What was inside?
Has an a/c disintegrated at altitude before? Comet? Has a hull lost its integrity to survive? Aloha? (Except for Emily, who was ejected over the Pacific). Has an a/c fallen into the sea seeking the inverted, but run out of altitude? Alaska? Has an a/c impacted the surface and distributed all its pieces (Save the tail)? Afriqiyah?
Failing a logical introduction and chain of evidence for each of its descriptions, the reports infer alot. Possibilities are somewhat a different animal to inferences.
Last edited by bearfoil; 23rd Oct 2010 at 00:26.