Just like the Poles cracked the Enigma using "past proves future" to break the cipher.  The Poles used math, while Turing/Bletchley used linguists+math.  I'm definitely far more into the linguistics and semantics side of things than the math portion.  I only see the solution after a problem is solved and the appropriate operands are plugged in.  You must be hungry for some kielbasa and pierogis about now. I do not see Q/POTUS splashing an airliner with innocents on it.  That got scratched off my list immediately.  Q/WH would, however splash a plane with DS air crew, if it contained something which, in the interest of national security, could not be let loose.  The options are endless.  The rapid descent of the plane looks like a complete failure and decompression or an explosion.  The 1st descent took the plane -7,000' starting at near 40k altitude.  The fatal descent shortly after, took it from 36,000' to sea level in an uncontrolled descent.  That description (to me) sounds like either a catastrophic systems failure (doubtful on a new, reliable plane like a 767-300) or an explosion/interception via A2A missile.  The plane was splashed in a location where recovery is more possible than out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.