Narval's Point
I think the unexpectedly high cavitation must be looked at in detail. We do not seem to know what the kinematic viscosity [kv] actually was at the critical moment. "Pumpability" if there is such a word requires a certain kv which if we ever look it up at all is usually on a table of such viscosity versus temperature. But it is for clean uncontaminated kerosenes. The other impact on kv besides pumpability and cavitation is its effect on atomisation. In my second college year we used to do lab experiments in which a readily disassembled glass pump body could have various bronze impellers fitted. The working fluid was glycerine I think on one run and the last of the day to clean out the gunge was white spirit. We used to adulterate the working fluid with powdered chalk or packets of "Drummer's Dye", a cold-water dyestuff. You could visibly determine when conditions within the pump body became ape and the flowmeter assembly in parallel with the pump allowed you to determine kv quite accurately up to the onset of cavitation. The effects of density variation are very striking. The powdered dye being very gritty was not used often but it did allow us to to take a sample when the pump conditions broke down. This was then sprayed through a jet onto a piece of filter paper and subjected to electrophoresis for an hour or two to draw out lines where the dye had landed. It was very hit and miss, basically all you could tell was that kv had a first order effect of both cavitation and atomisation. Previously prepared papers of good atomisation could be contrasted with yours. Gycerine showed up what particulate matter did and aerated white spirit showed the effects of frothing to good advantage but of course you couldn't replicate aeration in a jet beyond using brute force. We mustn't overconcentrate on the effects of fuel temperature but maybe have a think. Dynamic viscosity is easily worked out in the lab and is predictable but kinematic viscosity is dynamic divided by density and at the instant pumpability, atomisation and metering all go to pot may have a fleeting cause that vanishes quickly post incident. However if conditions have been building up over a while the cause may have "evaporated" but the evidence of wear and tear remains. Rather than being the dog that didn't bark in the night it has maybe been yelping for ages. I don't have a copy any more but Walsh and Fletcher of Rolls-Royce did publish about ten years ago. My only thought then was it was all down to the filters plus a bit of heat and agitation and thought no more about it.