Originally Posted by George Potter
Is it known for certain that it didn't contact the power lines? It appears to me that the right horizontal stabilizer is breaking up before any of the empennage contacts the bridge. Makes me wonder if they snagged the powerlines.
As mentioned at #109, I was studying the horizontal stabilisers ("h/s") earlier and thought there was a section missing on the port side.
Bearing in mind the t-tail design which distorts perspective, it's not so much the length, rather than the shape.
BBC News - Taiwan TransAsia plane crashes into river
On the third clip (taken by the car in the right lane) at 18-20s, have a look at the port side. I confirmed with a bit of modelling tonight, that the end of the stabiliser should graduate away bearing in mind perspective and the angles the plane travels through. Instead, it's 'blunter' than it should be; the tapered end part appears to be missing.
So, if part of the h/s had gone, some down force would be lost, the nose would go down, and the AOA of that wing would lower, possibly creating a spin. Does this fit the scenario?