Precedents?
Though I have long studied air transport safety (as a matter of personal curiosity), I certainly don't have encyclopedic knowledge of its history.
So I'm asking the readers of this thread, to help me out here. Within these constraints:
• after the early era of jets (say, post 1970)
• from an altitude at or near cruise (say, FL300 +)
• with evidence of major structural failure at altitude
• with a governmental investigation report from one of the principal countries in aviation, making clear findings of probable cause
How many times has a jet airline flight suffered a major structural failure not caused by an explosive weapon, which disabled it so suddenly that the flight crew never sent a subsequent radio message?
I haven't yet thought of an example. Anybody?