Quote: @AirScotia "Can anyone identify which parts we're looking at in the photo of what looks to be internal workings of the tail?"
As former A-320 rated maintenance engineer (few years experience on the type) and seasoned scuba diver maybe I can help:
The photo of registration marks shows bent metal skin, that shed (I assume thick layer of) paint along the bend, exposing primer coating. The fact it looks like upside down is, by my opinion, irrelevant as we do not know the orientation of camera-could be very difficult to take if reported currents are truly in the area of 4-5 kts. Movement of water is witnessed by short lines on photo, created by fast moving particles, suspended in the water.
The photo of red painted part with letters Ai... (Air Asia) shows probably left side of vertical stabiliser. (entire stabiliser is of composite structure)
The photo of inside : It seems it was taken inside the tail end and considering that light comes from the top of photo, I believe camera was held reasonably level. Therefore, this part of tail section probably rests leaning on vertical stabiliser with its right side on the bottom. Right half of horizontal stabiliser pushed into the mud or is (partially) broken away-fuselage rests half inverted to the right side-approx. 130 deg. from normal. Interior shows (deleted) parts of THS mechanism structure, that moves-trims horizontal stabiliser via jackscrew. (deleted). Am surprised that CVR / DFDR were not found, as they are installed very close to position, from where the photo was taken. I assume that part of the fuselage is not in the same piece with the structure photographed or is buried in mud.
Later comment: rewiving larger photos I had to edit (delete some parts) of my above post - what I thought was part of stabiliser and jackscrew, actually it is not-therefore nothing can be said about THS position (ANU/AND) and location from this photo, as it shows fuselage structure-frame with part of THS mechanism (drive motor, that is installed on top of structure and is partially visible on the photo and probably some part of THS in the background. Amount of light suggests that THS is not in reasonably one piece.
Am trying to add photos of that area, taken inside of an A-320.
Considering the damage and the fact that CVR DFDR are installed on a rack, fitted to the RH side of fuselage behind pressure bulkead, it seems that part is torn off, so black boxes are probably not attached to photographed structure.
Last edited by hoistop; 11th Jan 2015 at 11:15.