– ‘Deafening noise’ –
Joustra said that the tail section “probably crashed before the centre section” containing the engines, which “hit the ground upside down and caught fire.”
There was a “deafening noise of the impact, abrupt deceleration and acceleration, decompression and mist formation, reduced oxygen levels, extreme cold, powerful airflow and objects flying around,” the investigators concluded.
Some passengers suffered serious injuries that probably caused their deaths.
“In others, the exposure led to reduced awareness or unconsciousness in a very short space of time,” the investigation found.
“It was not possible to ascertain the time of death at which the occupants died; it was established that the impact on the ground was non-survivable,” the report added.
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