"I believe the "free-falling elevator" scenario is on a par with the "wings falling off the airplane" scenario."
Unfortunatley I never majored in physics or maths, so I can't comment any further on lifts/velocity or impact speeds! However the quote above reminds me of a Fox clip during the Califonian fires of a year or so back, where the C130 tanker plane dropping water on the fire also managed to discard its wings on a flyover. Needless to say the crew perished.
I still have the clip on Mpeg....I know its a bit morbid, but I still find it amazing to watch.