"Mike Ash" wrote

Makes sense to me. Seems like there are several potential explanations:
sudden flexing of the wings like I said, sudden pitch up like you said,
or simply CG changes causing increased load on the wing. Lots of ways
for this failure to occur given a weakened wing, but the idea of the
wings failing under constant load with more Gs due to less weight
doesn't seem to make sense.

What causes something to break more easily; a steady pull, or a sharp
impact (or pull)?

A steady bend is the result of more weight carried by the airplane. A
sudden G load causes the wing to flex rapidly.

At least that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it! g
--
Jim in NC