NTSB officials said investigators will travel to Seattle this week to use a Boeing 767 flight simulator. NTSB investigator Greg Phillips said information from the flight data recorder would be entered into the simulator to study how the airplane would react. Preliminary data released Friday showed that the plane was put into a dive so steep and fast that passengers would briefly have been rendered weightless. And both engines were shut off before the aircraft climbed briefly out of its dive and then turned and plunged into the ocean. One veteran pilot said the actions taken on the Boeing 767, such as shutting off the engines, seemed to be the exact opposite of what would be done by someone trying to save the plane.
Investigators continue to focus on all possible causes for the crash, including mechanical problems.
Officials say they are not leaning toward any specific theory. Any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.