Air France Plane Likely Broke Up in Flight

The theory that severe weather destroyed the Air France flight is looking more and more plausible:

The Air France plane that crashed June 1 may have partly broken up in the air before hitting the Atlantic Ocean, O Estado de S. Paulo reported, citing investigators it didn’t identify.

Most of the 16 bodies examined in preliminary stages of the probe into the flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris were found naked or with minimal clothing, suggesting the wind may have removed the garments, the newspaper said. The possibility of an explosion or fire in the jet is also unlikely because the bodies showed no sign of burns, Estado said.

Almost all of the bodies had multiple fractures, the paper reported. Investigators haven’t found water in the victims’ lungs, which would indicate drowning, Estado said. Bodies were found 85 kilometers (53 miles) apart, which may also indicate the Airbus A330-200 broke up before reaching the ocean, Estado reported.

My guess is that due to faulty or failed speed sensors the plane flew too fast into severe turbulence and broke up. The winds inside a severe thunderstorm can include updrafts and downdrafts of 100mph or more. The plane would have been no match for that.