What the NTSB had said earlier was that there was no indication of abnormality until the final seconds of the flight (from the CVR). This IS consistent with the information released yesterday, which details the final seconds of the flight.
As to wake turbulence - the JAL 747 was a good 8 miles ahead of AA587, plenty of spacing for dissipation of wake turbulence in a 5 mph crisp breeze. You want to see close "heavy" spacing? Park at the GA terminal on the south side of LAX and watch the heavies (AC +350,000 GW) arrive and depart with under 2 mi. separation. Or go to the 9th floor lobby of the Airport Hilton across the I-70 fwy from STL in Saint Louis and watch heavies depart, then other a/c departing less than 3 miles in trail. Happens every day at every airport across the land where you have heavies departing.
AA587 is NOT a wake turbulence incident.
Michael
I've seen this for myself coming in and out of LAX.
It's hard to believe AA587 is turbulance without an additional cause. I have no problem believing the engines tore themselves loose from the aircraft before impact after loss of the vertical stablizer.
With all due respect, you will not find, anywhere in the US, tight spacing like that coming out of Memphis Airport late at night (actually early morning) when the FedEx planes hit the skies.
FedEx planes have special seperation rules from the FAA. I can't remember the number but it's well under 120sec.
First one gets up, takes a hard right; left one left, next one straight out and up, next one right, etc...
Watching them arrive, on a clear night - their lights dotting the horizon, is pretty awesome too.