What the AAIB are not saying
Snanceki - I agree that the wording of the first update reads as if it was meant to be very precise indeed, I was just curious to see if anyone could throw more light on just what they did mean. I thought 'engine control commands ' had to refer to all of the engine control systems but I can see there may be components that are not coverd by the term.
Once the immediately obvious stuff of gross error and fuel exhaustion were out of the way, this accident was always going to be tough to explain, aircraft of this sort are just not meant to suffer double failures. I agree with others, though, the AAIB implied they would keep the community informed as and when, but they haven't done so. No idea what this implies. It was suggested that they wouldn't want to even mention fuel contamination for political reasons, in order not to upset the Chinese; I'm not sure what that would achieve, as contamination has to be up there in the frame as one of the relevant common modes in the system, and it has been a prime suspect and hot topic as a result. I recall the Big White Chief was quoted as saying that there would be a report in 30 days, the clock is ticking.