Quoting AAIB Special Bulletin 1/2008:
"- Both engine low pressure fuel filters were clean.
- The fuel oil heat exchangers (FOHE) in both engines were free of blockage.
- The right FOHE was clear of any debris, however the left engine FOHE had some small items of debris on its fuel inlet bulkhead.
- The high pressure filters were clean.
- A sump sample taken from the left and right main fuel tanks shortly after the accident revealed no significant quantities of water."
Although the ice/slush theory is plausible, wouldn't there have been an increased level of water content found in the fuel lines near the fuel filters, fuel oil heat exchangers or servo fuel lines? And if there was a presence of ice/slush, wouldn't some of it have been collected as water in the main tank sumps? Some of the ice/slush, being a solid and heavier than fuel, would likely have found its way to the lowest points in the tanks.
The Andy Pasztor article reminds me of the "industry insider" who claimed for example on jan. 30th [quote] "the fuel crossfeed valve switches were found in the open position and only one valve was open" [unquote]. The AAIB report, published on feb. 18th, explicitly mentioned that both valves indicated that they were closed and they had not been operated during the flight.
Green-dot