I listened carefully to what was said about the flightpath of AH5017 and as earlier confirmed, they actually say it was flying at 8000 metres. 20 minutes after takeoff they requested a change in directions due to weather. Then they dropped 4000 metres in altitude and disappeared from radar. My question is how high you are flying when an altitude loss of 4000 metres makes you drop radar contact. This is not the Himalayas., but described as savannah.
During this piece of information the pictures of radar screens and crash sites were shown. (Information for you who didn't see this news clip.)
What was also interesting was the "air safety expert" who commented on what could have happened. He thought that the pilots may have turned into an even worse situation and experienced spatial disorientation. This based on the fact that the aircraft took off in the middle of the night ("plein nuit" in the clip) and African nights can be black as tar.