Quoting the
2002 Überlingen mid-air collision WIKKI article regarding the DHL 757 that had lost the VS,
2002 Überlingen mid-air collision - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Each engine ended up several hundred metres away from the main wreckage
777fly's comment is most appropriate.
"The fact that the AF engines were found with the main wreckage would seem to indicate that they were with the aircraft at impact. If the VS and rudder had come off in flight, it might be expected that they would been found some distance away, as the kind of lateral forces which detached the AA586 engines would have occured in this case also.
This adds additional weight to the "AF447 VS was on at impact" explanation by BEA. Once we see some sort of chart of wreckage location on the sea floor, we will all know for sure.
It boggles my mind how some participants in this forum continue to seize on loss of the VS as the likely cause of the AF447 accident. Loss of the VS in-flight is probably the most discussed concept in this thread.
This single-mindedness is not an asset and detracts from other explorations.