Wow.. I go to Paris for the airshow for a few days and when I come back this thread has grown like kudzu in south Georgia.
As I meander through the questions and answers, the explanations and some of the assertions, I am reminded of an interview I sat in on with Diane Vaughan, the professor who wrote the Challenger Launch Decision. The interview took place after Columbia broke up.
Vaughan said that when she began her background investigation of what happened, she fully expected to find ineptitude, cover-ups and 'skulduggery' (I will always remember that one). She said what she found was highly experienced, high intelligent, highly committed, highly educated, hard working people who were doing what they believed to be right and within the margins.
I guess my point is some want to suggest there is stuff to be covered up, the crew did irrational things (fly into the teeth of a monster storm system), the airplane has serious flaws that everyone knew of, that a system like FBW is replete with flaws and failures, that some authorities are hoping the FDR/CVR won't be found so flaws can't be revealed.
Sometimes you just have to step back, take a deep breath before continuing to sift through the relevant and informed along with the other stuff.
This one has been a real education.