Per French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, the plane’s cockpit voice recorder has been recovered. The data recorder has yet to be recovered.
In the experience of one Olivier Ferrante, a former crash investigator for the French government who now advises the European Commission in Brussels the eight minute descent, if verified, would be inconsistent with a mid-air upset scenario (such as AF447).
While the crash occurred in a remote mountainous area unreachable by land the French had a helicopter overhead shortly after 11 a.m. (local time) and cable dropped onto the crash scene two officers from the specialized mountain police force and a doctor.