Impact somewhere on this ridge

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The impact occurred along this ridge at 14,100 feet (4,270 meters). The Glacier of Destiny de le Survivors, south of this ridge is split in two by another ridge of rock extending southward. This may be the first contact with the wing or else the headwall ridge itself. According to Nando, the pilots pitched the plane upwards at the last moment before contact in effort to clear this ridge instead of smashing into the top of the headwall. The north side of the headwall is a near vertical drop, and so the plane continued forward still airborne shedding the tail section and it's other wing. The tail section would have spiraled off to the north east, while the tube of the fuselage then made contact with the very deep and cushioning snowfield below the sheer cliff and from there tabogganed to a rest a bit southwestward from the area marked by someone else. 10 feet lower at impact and the plane would have disintregrated and tumbled off the sheer face and all would have been lost. If the tail and wings had not sheared off exactly as they did the center of gravity of the fuselage would have been forward or aft and the fuselage would have made contact in an exaggerated nose down or open end down attitude and abrubtly dug in and stopped instead of tabogganing down the slope. The avalanche that took 8 more of the crash survivors several days later (though again tragic) provided necessary insulation to their fuselage shelter as well as just enough additional "provision" to just last until their rescue. Some would call these circumstances "just coincidental" others would say "providential". It all depends on one's own belief . . . . .