VS loss in-air unlikely
I've been following this thread from the beginning. Just some observations about some recent stuff...
All the clues you need are in the BEA report if you are able to comprehend it.
The VS was almost certainly lost on impact. Look at the photos of damage not just to the VS hardware, but the recovered galley G3, and in particular; the damage to the luggage rack fixings.
Some posters seem to have a fixation that the aircraft "dropped" into the water. High vertical speed is certain, since victims found so far showed fractures of the pelvis and vertebrae. VS component 36g's failure indicates that significant energy was involved. Humans can only take about 40g and be assured of survival. That may well have been exceeded on impact.
However, there is also evidence that the aircraft was travelling forward along it's longitudinal axis with very little yaw. The damage to the luggage rack fixings clearly show this.
What were the chances of this happening with a missing VS? Very, very slim - almost nil, I'd bet. The VS detached at impact. There's a reason the BEA assume this - they have physical evidence.
Related to this, some posters have expressed surprise that the wreckage has been found to close to the LKP. There's nothing surprising about it. You don't know what happened between the LKP and impact. There is no reason whatsoever to suppose that the aircraft's descent was in any way continuous, be it a dive, flat spin, continuous turn or whatever. It could have consisted of several stages, in any direction - or in different directions. In addition, you shouldn't assume that the aircraft hit the water directly above it's resting place on the sea-bed. Currents play a factor. Those current's could have caused a drift back towards the LKP completely by coincidence.
And finally, while I'm in rant mode...
ACARS - BEA's analysis is sound. Some messages are by-design transmitted with a follow-up message that can take place a few seconds later. Some of those expected follow-up messages are missing. BEA's report indicates from the satellite logs that signal strength was OK until the end of messages. They also state that for the signal to be blocked - it would have to be blocked line of sight between the antenna and the satellite by a flight surface. i.e. at an abnormal orientation. Given the physical evidence, that the aircraft impacted moving forwards, slightly nose-up with high vertical speed; the impact most likely occurred immediately after the last recorded message. You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes.