To address some posts above:
The Airbus that went down on Long Island shortly after 9-11 was said to have lost it’s tail due to the pilot moving the vertical stabililizer too violently.
This relates to the Air France breakup in that the pitot tube speed readouts determine the amount of vertical stabilizer movement.
That is to say, the higher the speed, the less movement is allowed, to prevent overstressing the tail.
Wrt comment #18 about the large pieces indicating the plane came in intact at a shallow angle:
While there would indeed be tiny pieces if the plane had come in intact near vertically, due to the high speed, a mid-air breakup results in large pieces, such as the tail to flutter down whole, going slow enough not to breakup.
Some disgruntled worker brought down an Airbus Commuter near us in California at terminal velocity, and most pieces were no larger than 1 inch square.
Think I’ll revisit that disaster to check out the name of the suicidal “worker.”
…it was near San Luis Obisbo, CA, about 20 years ago, I think.
