Originally Posted by rgbrock1
Is it possible, or even likely, for a severe updraft to carry a commercial airliner to that rate of ascent? Just curious.
It is possible but unlikely. The airplane would have to maintain its pitch attitude, thrust setting, and airspeed, and the gust would have to last long enough for the airplane to attain the vertical speed of the gust. Meteorological analysis of the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident indicates that upcurrents of this magnitude are unlikely.
Originally Posted by fireflybob
Assuming the data comes from the pressure instruments (IAS/VSI/ALT) these would be indicated values.
The data come from ADS-B messages where they are indicated as “geo”, meaning that the source is GPS. Barometric data were lost at that time.