[Dion]

Interestingly, one of the systems most vulnerable to lightning strikes is the on-board weather radar located in the nose cone. It cannot do its job if it is shielded from lightning like the rest of the airplane - and so it is more likely to go down when lightning strikes (which is of course when you need it most).

So it is possible this plane was hit by lightning, knocking out the radar. The crew was suddenly preoccupied with an electrical failure, in the dark, over the ocean and without weather radar as they hurtled toward some epic cumulus nimbus thunderheads. Most Captains prefer to be on the flight deck for take-off and landing. Was the most seasoned aviator in his bunk when all this transpired?

The fact that the airplane sent a message that it had an electrical problem means, by definition, that it was not a total, instant failure. But did things cascade from there? They might have found themselves inside a huge storm only able to control the airplane manually - which means minimally - with the rudder primarily.

You may recall the crash of American Airlines flight 587 on November 12, 2001 as it departed New York's JFK airport. The plane encountered some wake turbulence and the copilot apparently stepped too hard on the rudder pedals - breaking off the graphite vertical stabilizer and rudder (the tail).

Even today's advanced - seemingly invincible - airliners care no match for Mother Nature on a bad night. If the conditions conspire against you, even a big airliner can be torn to pieces in an instant.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsO...090601?sp=true