Simon of New Zealand
August 3, 2016
MH370 certainly did not make a controlled ditching as asserted by the Canadian air accident investigator Larry Vance.
At 00:19.29 UTC MH370 had a rate of descent of 12,000fpm. Just 8 seconds later at 00:19.37 UTC it had accelerated to 20,000fpm – twice the rate of descent of Air France AF447 in 2009. Boeing’s Flight Manual cautions B777 pilots against exceeding 8,000fpm.
Larry Vance and I have both read the BEA report on the Flaperon which refers to damage occurring from a gradual process of erosion, not sudden shear forces. The dilemma whether this was a controlled ditching , or high speed impact as my friend Blaine Gibson believes is resolved by common sense.
MH370 broke up at altitude. The Right wing appears to have fluttered down like confetti with the Flaperon still attached for a soft entry. Wave action over the following weeks likely separated the Flaperon from the wing by fatigue, erosion & flexing, giving barnacles time needed to establish on a semi-submerged Flaperon until the wing sank and then the Flaperon broke free.
Mr Vance has fixated on just one aspect of the BEA report & taken it out of proper context to attract attention for his pet prejudice to blame the pilot. A B777 dropping at 20,000fpm is not heading for a controlled ditching.
