Originally Posted by
JD-EE
The simplest answer to this dilemma is that the problem began, probably not long after 01:35 and finally brought the plane down.
What about the connection attempt to the Dakar center ADS-C system at 02:01 (Interim Report n°1, p. 48)? The report (p. 66) says, that this "first connection with the system is made by the crew". Would they have bothered with something like that if they were already in serious trouble at that time?