In this episode...it’s got a strange twist. The minute that the plane starts to come over land (from the Med)...this descent starts...steady and continuous three thousand feet per minute.
Normally, ninety percent of accidents occur at the beginning or ending of a flight...few occur mid-way unless there’s another plane which intercepts it or a wing falls off. Because of the continuous and steady descent...there’s no wing issue.
In an emergency situation...a pilot/co-pilot team reacts for the first thirty-to-sixty seconds to stabilize the plane and gauge the immediate issue. After sixty seconds, they automatically contact radar control and request an immediate landing point. Nothing occurs in this case with contact.
Minute-by-minute will tick by....it’s descending on a steady rate. No action by the pilot or co-pilot to contact anyone? In a normal situation, especially if you have not established stable control....you alter the course, and if necessary...establish your nearest landing point (they were within five minutes of Nice (Nice Cote d’Azur, 9,000 ft long). Or you could have turned west away from the Alps and get to flat areas within five minutes.
They made no attempt to change directions. No attempt for contact.
I’m no rocket scientist, but it makes no sense unless the computer took over...eliminated the radio...put the auto-pilot on an absolute locked descent with no way to unlock the system. It wouldn’t surprise me if they get the black boxes and find that most of the data for the final ten minutes of the flight simply isn’t there...never recorded. When you hear that comment made...the rest of the story is easy to figure out...but the question is...who?
And no, I’m not buying into NSA or the Russian KGB, or ISIS. You’d have to rig up a ton of by-passes and get through their firewall to plant some type of virus that would do all the nifty things required in this case. For what? Simply to demonstrate they can do it?
Unfortunately, none of us was in that cockpit nor on the ground to witness the event. What we know today is only what we have read or heard from the media.
I have investigated literally hundreds of aviation mishaps. I only know three facts right now with any certainty:
1. The airplane took off and proceeded on it's normal planned route of flight.
2. The airplane crashed into the mountains.
3. The media lies, embellishes, and generally gets it wrong even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. They are never to be trusted to present unbiased information or analysis in a technical investigation.
So basically none of us know anything - yet. But it is instructive (and illustrative) to engage in some small amount of speculation. But we need to remember it is only that - speculation.
“but it makes no sense unless the computer took over...eliminated the radio”
Whahahahahahaa.. you watch to many movies.