Autopsis findings on Air France 447 victims may mean 'midflight breakup,' experts
Autopsies made of victims of the Air France Flight 447 revealed fractures in the legs, arms and hips, Brazil's O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper reported on Wednesday, strengthening speculation that the airplane broke apart at high altitudes.
The fractures were found in an undisclosed number of the 50 bodies recovered to date, the Associated Press reported citing an anonymous spokesman from the Brazilian medical examiner office. A total of 228 passenger and crew were involved in the incident.
Forensic experts deduced that the findings are good indicators of a midflight break up, Frank Ciacco, a former forensic expert at the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board told the news agency. The plane was flying at about 34,500 feet (10,500 meters).
Getting ejected into that kind of windstream is like hitting a brick wall - even if they stay in their seats, it is a crushing effect, Jack Casey an aviation safety consultant said in the report. Most of them were long dead before they hit the water would be my guess.
The lack of clothing on the bodies is also a sign to support this theory because clothes torn away under an air breakup, the report indicated.
Air France Flight 447 was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The search for more bodies and the black boxes - which may contain clues about why the crash occurred - will continue at least until June 19 when authorities will review how long the search will continue.
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