cresta57

We can speculate all we like. It's like betting on the horses, someone will pick the right scenario. Structural failure, electrical failure, hijack, terrorism etc.

My guess is Colonel Mustard in the aft toilet with the semtex

Shard

I think it's because we can imagine those 2-3 mins of terror that airplane crashes (which are statistically very unlikely) make many if us fearful.

GarryP

To me, one of the most interesting things is the different way people address the story.

Some pick it apart and attempt to understand what happened, etc.

Others decry the first group and say they shouldn't 'speculate', and should await the verdict of the authorities.

They are two, very different ways of looking at the world - two different mental models. Forget left and right - that separation is probably more important to society.

Pollyana

With a long background in aviation, I agree, it is interesting to read the speculaion, the theories and eventually the truth. Done it a few times when friends and even a former instructor have died in accidents, kind of teaches you how to be objective.

But I admit that even though my entire role is disaster-based, the one thing I dread is a major aircraft incident within Queensland. Would hit too close to my heart and is the one thing I would have to take a deep breath before coping with.

Dorothy

But how can one "pick apart and try to understand" when there's no evidence to pick apart? There's only rumour and speculation until the planes flight data recorder and CVR are recovered.

GarryP

There's quite a lot of evidence, even if they never find the flight recorder. For a start the absence of evidence is evidence of a sort, as is the track info, etc.

If you've a background in trying to work stuff out 'without a safety net', there's actually quite a bit that can be inferred, and there would be even more if the 'authorities' were a little more truthful.

As I say, it's a worldview thing

Amazulu

Yep. The internet has completely transformed the way we live. The benefits hav been huge - learning, informing, entertaining, working. But on the other hand it has also brought many negatives. For instance, now any asshole with an opinion has a virtually free, limitless, international ability to spread that opinion, viewpoint, theory whatever - just have a read of the comments section of any news article for instance. Nutjob central

A good case in point was the Boston Marathon bombings and its aftermath. Some knobjockeys on reddit (a wanker nerd group jack-off site) took it upon themselves to identify the suspects. In their opinion a noble cause and they found the suspect. Only problem was it was the wrong person - some poor f**ker was 'identified' as a terrorist and it wasn't him. That was a great help to the police and community wasn't it?

Flight AF447 was an Air France A330 that went down in the Atlantic in 2009. I can remember at the time all the speculation about the cause - Someone had a theory, It was out there. Final report concluded that it was icing of the pitot tubes (which measure airspeed) which caused errors in information transmitted to the crew and their mistakes and lack of training in dealing with this - none of this mentioned at the time. All the 'experts' were wrong and I bet there was plenty of shite on reddit too

I'm going to wait on the air safety people on this one

Pollyana

same here. a few possibles going round my head, but its too early ...

Dorothy

But why do that when there's already so much evidence that it was terrorism / shot down / airframe malfunction / electrical problem / suicide / godzilla?

Amazulu

You're right D, let's go with the 'expert' mob and their theories

What do air crash investigators know anyway?

cresta57

You don't think it was Colonel Mustard then?

Amazulu

Could have been - with a SAM

F**k the lead pipe

Molly Coddle

Yep! Absolutely



I think the worst-case scenario for me would be to come down in the sea, and go under whilst still alive, I can't even begin to imagine how I'd feel. The sheer panic and terror, especially if you had your children with you.



You can probably tell I don't like flying Shard I think about this stuff waaaaayyy too much!

Shard

I love flying, but think way too much too. That Air France flight that went down off Brazil a few years ago, it was like that (worst case scenario). One can only hope that the impact would knock people out of consciousness.

Bermudashorts

In fact the Daily Mail has clarified this morning. The plane disintegrated at 35,000 feet, so that clears that up then.