[catpuppy]

Well said. I think that your skepticism is reasonable.

[LTCJ]

Folks, one comment regarding the tail coming off: a rotor burst would not do that directly. The FOD zone from a high speed turbine is restricted to an area within about 10-15 degrees of the plane of rotation. Anything within that zone has a good chance of looking like swiss cheese but the vertical stab is not a candidate on an A300. Airloads after departed flight is the most likely "natural" cause.