sentences:  However, the First Officer disregarded the Captain's commands and deployed the wings' slats to maintain their altitude and lower the plane's stall speed.Consequently, at this point the airplane was actually flying at a higher speed than normal; it was descending, which further increased airspeed to a point dangerously near to VNE, the "never exceed speed", above which structural damage to the aircraft might occur.With the slats extended at a speed beyond their operational limits, one of them was torn from the aircraft, causing catastrophic asymmetry in the airflow over the wings.