Have followed this accident from the beginning
For some reason yet unknown this crew appeared to fly into a radar shadow and then into a monster updraft scenario. A pilot friend of mine tells me it is almost indescribable flying into such a nightmarish event. I was schocked at the crash location being just about 5 miles from the LOC. I tend to think that violent storm just took that plane and flung it into the ocean. I have rehearsed this with a legacy pilot and the terror of those last minutes much have been heart rending. My juvenile guess is that the constraints and pressures placed on pilots today to fly on the edge was a factor in this flight crew making a fatal decision. My sympathies lie with the crew and the incredible job they do day in and day out.
Thanks to all on this thread that have answered so many of my questions.