Ground speed <> Indicated Air Speed
Youre slowing to 280kts IAS in turbulence, instead of riding the cowboys 330 kts. But this is in level flight and at FL310.
A GS of 280kts at FL310 with little to no wind should be dangerous close to Vs if not lower than it.
The turn only occurs after the airplane has lost altitude and speed and is a start of a stall spiral for me. The airplane was a little off track to the left, this is probably the track correction for weather that the media bet on.
The video is further up here in a link pointing to FranceInfo TV. There is a radar replay, likely on a PC or so, that was filmed by the TV team. It is black on white, which means it is synthesized.
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/5...ml#post8580965
My bet is iceing of pitot tubes, overspeed and underspeed alarms, confusion, intentional flight idle, compressor stall, aerodynamic stall, T-elevator stall, deep stall. Handling or capability of weather radar may have played its role. The world had seen it before, except that there is no evidence that the crew tried to climb above FL310 as did AFI and those here
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulko...ise_Flight_612