I think you’re remembering it wrong, or you read an early report that got it wrong. The pilot had sent a routine communication much earlier, mentioning the strong thunderstorm activity (which is normal and expected in that area). That was the last communication from the crew. Then they missed a standard check-in point a while after that, but reportedly that’s not very uncommon due to transmission problems from that location. It was quite some time after the last direct communication, and after the missed checkpoint, that the barrage of automated messages from the plane starting going out. Everything was fine the last time the crew was heard from directly.
I remember he reported heavy turbulence, which is NOT normal. It was associated with storm activity, which probably killed them.
Thanks for that GS. I am absolutely positive I’m not remembering it incorrectly as it is as a fact embedded in my brain, therefore I had to have read it, and believed what I read at the time. I’ll go with your latter assessment that perhaps it was misreporting as that DOES happen most often during initial reportings on such disasters as the topic.
It was the following report after the initial breaking news posted here at FR as I recall, therefore it was early on in the process of finding out what was going on. Lots of speculation, but “H” that’s still happening.