(Disclaimer: just an interested SLF with a copy of X-Plane)
I have a question: The plane was supposed to have 2+ hours worth of extra fuel on board at the time of the crash, even after two hours of holding. How are these two hours calculated? Is the endurance assumed to be at cruise altitude or is it at the assumed hold altitude?
What I'm driving at is, they were holding first at 8000, then at FL150. Is it possible the increase in fuel burn at that altitude compared to cruise was high enough to eat up the 2 hours? Is it possible the aircraft indeed ran out of fuel during the GA, stalled severely and impacted the ground while trying to recover?
