Bingo
mm43 wrote: Likewise, could you be forced to accept that the PIC actually said, "full down"
(First, it's good to see you posting again. It takes me back to the days of AF447...)
People familiar with Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) – especially those who study linguistics, and specifically those who are involved in the study and use of aviation English – will immediately realise the significance of mm43's observation. His exact interpretation of the Captain’s words has been the subject of MUCH discussion among those who have heard the audio file.
For those unfamiliar with spoken Indonesian, there are many English words that start with the letter "f" (or that contain an "f") wherein the "f" is pronounced by many Indonesians as a "p". Examples are "Fantastic" and "Coffee" and many other words where an "f" is commonly treated as a "p". To emphasise the point, there are also native Indonesian words, spelled with an "f" but always pronounced as "p" (i.e. “kafan”, which is always pronounced as “kapan”). There are historical and linguistic reasons for this but for the purpose of this discussion that background is not important. What IS significant is that there is a very good argument to be made that the Captain was saying, “Full Down!” And some of us believe (for many reasons additional to what I mentioned here) that’s exactly what he said…