Machaca, That is a great picture. Lets use it for discussion.
Didn't an A340 lose its DFDR on a tail strike a couple of years ago? A recorder in this position may well be torn loose during an impact such as AF447 sustained. I would expect a skin strength discontinuity in the transition from the pressurized cabin to the unpressurized tail. Failure of the skin just aft of the pressure bulkhead is then quite possible, even with the plentiful stringers visible. The DFDR and some associated structure may well be lying by itself, separate from the wreckage.
The heavy vertical structure aft of the DFDR appears to be a support for the THS actuator. How does it tie in to the structure above? An item like this would be forced upward like a piston by the impact from below and could well account for how the VS was thrown. It appears to be pointed at the aft VS support structure. The forward VS support structure is above and forward of the aft bulkhead if I recall correctly
A very helpful view of an area most of us never get to see.
