Flaperon washes up on Reunion Island

[birdspeed]

Let's make a prediction before the results come from Toulouse.

To me, the flaperon is in too good a condition to have have been involved in a high speed impact with the sea. So I think we have 2 possible scenarios--

1/ it was ripped off during a controlled sea ditching. Or

2/ it was ripped off in flight at high speed.---as this was the right flaperon, once the second engine flamed out the RAT drops out and powers only centre hydraulics leaving the right flaperon unpowered. It would likely float up into the high speed/ transonic airflow and possibly sustain flutter, shearing off the trailing edge and mounting brackets and detaching just before the plane hit the sea.
Edited-- I'm wrong, the centre hyd powers the right flaperon.


I favour option 2 as believe the autopilot has been out since the event and pilots are unconscious.