A mystery with only one clue: a catastrophic electrical failure

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Although the notoriously turbulent weather and suggestions of a lightning strike appear to have been factors, aviation experts insisted that such problems alone should not have brought the plane down.

The only definite clues are the automated message sent by the plane moments before its disappearance, reporting a failure of electrical power, pressurisation and other systems.

Today, however, Pierre Sparaco, of the French Air and Space Academy, said that back-up systems in the plane should have been sufficient to allow it to cope with an electrical failure and said that further unknown factors must have triggered the tragedy.

"For a plane to get hit by lightning is totally routine," he said. "That is not enough to explain it. There must be a missing link."

With terrorism ruled out by officials, one theory is that the electrical failures combined with fearsomely high winds that can occur in a turbulent area known as the "Pot au Noir" — black cauldron — to completely destabilise the plane.

Jane's Aviation analyst Chris Yates added: "Potentially it went down very quickly and the pilot didn't have a chance to make that emergency call."