While a tail strike is most likely scenario, I suppose the tail could have broken off as the result of a very hard landing.
Both wings largely intact, so cartwheeling is NOT indicated.
Yeah I saw that, but right wing tip has substantial damage from about 7 feet to tip.
Mr GG2 a pilot and former Boeing line chief says the pilot made hard landing too soon. He hit the embankment and took the landing gear off then the tail. It didn’t go very far after it hit so he says the guy probably didn’t dial in his barometric pressure right so he landed way too soon. He was probably looking at the dials and not the ground. The radar should have been overiding it but who knows.
I’m sure that when witnesses talk about “wings” coming off they are actually referring to the right and left horizontal stabs and maybe the rudder. Only the right wingtip seems to have been severely damaged on the main wing.
If there was a mid-air explosion in the tail area — even one second before touch down — this is a really big deal.
It is unlikely the baggage compartment extends that far back. The 777 has no tail engine with associated fuel lines or even an APU in that location (I don’t think).
So what caused the explosion? I hope it wasn’t a SAM!
Video on fox shows small amount of debris in the water at the very front of the runway. Looks like a trail leading from the water up the runway. Lots of very small debris from water leading down the runway to the remains of the tail.
They are saying witnesses reporting the tail fell off before it landed. I’m wondering if it hit the runway, bounced and then the tail fell off.