There was a question raised about a passenger seeing a tear in the aircraft
fuselage as he boarded the airplane. This was not reported to any member
of the crew. The captain and co-pilot had gone to the coffee shop and
passed through the same entry as the passenger without noticing the post
accident reported tear( the official accident report states that the
cockpit crew did not leave the cockpit--this is incorrect).
There were some issues with the initial reaction once the aircraft was on
the ground. On board medical kits were in the section ripped away. The
kits on the emergency equipment responding had rotted in the tropical heat.
The surviving crew and fire fighters were faced with multiple casualties
and no first aid kits. The helplessness felt by the crew at this point is
often cited in discussions of post traumatic stress.
The accident was dramatic and continues to be interesting. In that respect
it at least keeps the class awake. The cockpit communication issues and
the workload management with multiple emergencies are fascinating to
pilots.
Gerry