Originally Posted by
tiggerm0th
A good question - any "lights" in the fuel to reduce the melting point would indeed result in a higher liklihood of caviation in the pumps, or could result in waxes in fuel lines to being stripped then passed through once the right temperature (read 'altitude') is reached.
T.
PS Is it normal for fuel not to be tested for water after fuelling?
Yes, it is normal. The fuel gets sample tested during the refuel, and for various reasons it is highly unlikely that water can get on to the aircraft at this point. The AAIB reports states that there was not an unusual amount of water in the fuel recovered from the aircraft, so water does not look like a likely culprit.
Also the schedule for water drains and the likely freezing temperature of the fuel was previously explained/predicted by other posters on the forum, so nothing unusual or unexpected there. Even the FOD in the tanks doesn't really explain much. Still a big bloody mystery.