This is why this new information is so puzzling. We have an aircraft, like all passenger aircraft, that is designed to return to straight and level flight. And, assuming this happened at altitude, 35K feet is more than enough real estate to regain control of the aircraft and resume level flight - assuming that the airplane was controllable and under power.
Also, a commercial airliner is not built to withstand the stress of a 30K foot (or more) flat spin. I can't imagine it not breaking apart, at least big parts of it, before it hit the water.
While the bottom to top crushing of the fuselage is an interesting and enlightening clue, it leaves many, many questions unanswered.
Maybe it was flying end over end, and when it hit it just happened to be horizontal?
Pardon the crudity of this illustration:
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SMACK!!!
Like these?
Why is the tail in pristine condition? Wouldn't the sudden stop when it hit the ocean have caused it to either break off and crash onto the fuselage or stay attached and go down with the rest of the plane?