The area where the plane went missing (The Caprivi strip) is not dense forest, it is a seasonal dry savanna / wetland, with patchy shrub and tree coverage, mainly grassland. In the rainy season (right now) the whole area turns into a water soaked bog which is practically inaccessible by any vehicle and very difficult to traverse even on foot.
I once did a helicopter landing on that kind of terrain, from the air it looks like nice terra firma, and even on touchdown one feels nothing special. As I got out, my feet immediately sank ankle deep into the soft ground. Looking around, the rear end of the skids already disappeared into the muck. Luckily we had enough power to get unstuck (otherwise the story would have had a very embarrassing ending) and I could direct the pilot to a harder patch some dozens of metres away, getting covered with mud knee deep in the process. I visited the same spot some months later and it was rock hard ground.
In case of a high energy impact the visible traces will be very similar to the Everglades Valuejet or Douala Air Kenya accidents - a water filled crater, barely distinguishable from other ponds littering the area, and a little floating and lighter debris thrown about.
The area has no mobile coverage aside the immediate areas of lodges and a few towers along the main road, so in case of a favorable outcome, if VHF is disabled survivors will have no means of communication until found.
Last edited by andrasz; 30th Nov 2013 at 08:31.