[raygun]

The Speigel article reports that data from the FDR indicates the plane attempted to steer around the storms.

“But the flight path recorded by the black box reportedly shows that the crew had been trying to find the safest possible path through the storm front. They initially appear to have succeeded as the flight data doesn’t contain any evidence of more severe turbulence.”

[saganite]

Flight path data for other aircraft flying through that airspace show that they gave the storms a much wider berth than the Air France flight did. Picking your way between cells is very different than flying around the line of storms. Much trickier.

[Moonman62]

Thanks. I saw that. There is a difference between flying around a large area of bad weather and trying to pick your way through it.

They flew into an area where icing was likely to occur, even if it wasn't a turbulent area.