But the investigators said their examination of floating debris indicated that the plane plummeted on its belly onto the ocean surface, facing in the direction of its intended route.
Alain Bouillard, who is leading the French investigation, said that "visual examination of the debris shows that the plane hit with the bottom of its fuselage with very strong vertical acceleration".
Investigators with the Essex County prosecutor's office and other agencies finished their examination of fire debris and burn patterns in Boland's third-floor lounge today and said it could be reopened.
Initial examination of the debris from the explosion had shown the production of a new isotope of plutonium, : this could only have formed by the absorption of six neutrons by a uranium-238 nucleus followed by two β− decays.
Initial examination of the debris from the explosion had shown the production of a new isotope of plutonium,, which could only have formed by the absorption of six neutrons by a uranium-238 nucleus followed by two beta decays.
Howard Plagens, the N.T.S.B. official in charge of the investigation, said that the new evidence was a result of several painstaking examinations of the debris field, which was spread over several hundred feet and contained thousands of pieces of the demolished plane and other remnants of the accident.
The report, based on interviews with witnesses to the attacks and an examination of the missile debris, represented the latest in a series of accusations about Israel's conduct of the Gaza war.
In a preliminary report published this month, investigators said their examination of the floating debris indicated that the plane did not break up in the air, but hit the water intact.
A preliminary report published in July said an examination of the floating debris indicated that the plane had hit the water intact, but offered few additional clues to the cause of the disaster.France is planning a renewed search for the black boxes of Flight 447 early next year, with the support of experts and specialized equipment from the United States, Britain, Brazil and Russia.
