VS HS attach
Ignoring for the moment the reported wide differences of pax injuries fore to aft, the fuselage attach points of the VS spar and HS are proximal and designed to distribute the highest loads in the aft fuselage. Yet despite the obvious structural trauma, the fwd VS attach remained in place and the more closely integrated aft VS and main HS spars separated from the structure. The probability of a non-localized force capable of this result is lower than one which would have also affected the fwd VS spar ("spar" used with caveats). So the question is what kind of force could have caused that structural split at that location. There is no clear evidence yet of a APB failure. Nor is there clear evidence yet that fire (exact scorching and cause of death) did not result from a primary event. So it seems mechanical failure of the HS VS attach or explosive event near there remain prime possibilities. Note that 'explosive event' does not suggest an intentional event. The division of the relative strength of the VS HS connection does suggest that the tail cone/apu were just along for the ride and were not causal. Why no HS pics so far??
Last edited by Leightman 957; 3rd Nov 2015 at 15:03.
Reason: APB=RPB