When trying to work back from ground wreckage patterns to establish the order of break-up in flight, it has to be remembered that something relatively light and very aerodynamic (like a vertical stabiliser) can slow down very quickly after it leaves the aircraft and can also “fly” some distance in any direction depending on how it rotates as it falls. On the other hand a heavy small mass (like an engine) will behave very differently. Lockerbie gave several instances of this. Expert interpretation of debris fields way beyond plain common sense is required.
With so many bits being recovered I am sure the investigation will be able to establish a likely series of events more quickly than in some other tragedies.
But all of the bits of the jigsaw must fit – not just some of them – in order to get the perfect picture and patience will be required by LATEST and others. A holding piece about such investigation issues rather than an attempt at a quick answer would go down very well with the professionals and, I suspect, a lot of the public. Might not be easy to convert the news editor to such an approach though.