'Air France suffered mid-flight break up’

SAO PAULO: Autopsies have revealed fractures in the legs, hips and arms of Air France Flight 447 victims, injuries that ��� along with the large pieces of wreckage pulled from the Atlantic ��� strongly suggest the plane broke up in the air, experts say. With more than 400 pieces of debris recovered from the ocean���s surface, the top French investigator expressed optimism about eventually discovering what brought down the plane. But, he also called the search conditions ��� far from land in very deep water ������one of the worst situations ever known in an accident investigation.���

French investigators are beginning to form ���an image that is progressively less fuzzy,��� Paul-Louis Arslanian, who runs the French air accident investigation agency BEA, said. ���We are in a situation that is a bit more favorable than the first days,��� Arslanian said. ���We can say there is a little less uncertainty, so there is a little more optimism... it is premature for the time being to say what happened.���

A spokesman for Brazilian medical examiners said fractures were found in autopsies on an undisclosed number of the 50 bodies recovered so far. ���If you see intact bodies and multiple fractures ��� arm, leg, hip fractures ��� it���s a good indicator of a mid-flight break up,��� said Frank Ciacco, a former forensic expert at the US National Transportation Safety Board. ���Especially, if you���re seeing large pieces of aircraft as well.���

The pattern of fractures was first reported Wednesday by a Brazilian newspaper. The paper also reported that some victims were found with little or no clothing, and had no signs of burns. ���In an in-air break up like we are supposing here, the clothes are just torn away,��� said Jack Casey, an aviation safety consultant in Washington, DC.

Casey also said multiple fractures are consistent with a midair breakup of the plane, which was cruising at about 34,500 feet when it went down. ���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,��� Casey said.