[al_c]

The likeliest reason that the tape ended three minutes before the plane hit the ground is that the plane itself came to a end three minutes before hitting the ground.

If it was hit by a missle, there wouldn't be enough left of the plane to hit the ground with such force. If it was crippled by being shot at and then crashed, odds are the recorder would still be working as the plane fell to the ground.

[altayann]

That's what I though initially as well. But I've since learned that missiles fired on an aircraft aren't necessarily going to destroy the entire aircraft. Especially if they are heat-seeking missiles, which in the case of a large airliner would take out one of the engines rather than the fuselage.

Case in point: Korean Airlines flight 007 in 1982 was downed by a Russian missile. However, even after being hit by a missile, pilots were able to continue radio broadcasts for a full two minutes after the missile hit.