Caz,
You are right but as this ac was Cat 5 with fatalities, I would have thought that the AAIB would have been invited (under the MoU) to 'participate' because I presume the RNFSAIC are being kept quite busy out of area (not that the RAF has any expert accident investigators on which to call anyway!). Nonetheless, as long as either the AAIB or the RNFSAIC have done both the tech side and the ops side, that is a good start - this would be a whole lot better than a BoI/SI anyway....the way ahead perhaps?!
Now, if the ops report (met, supervision, human factors etc) has yet to be completed, then this is a different matter entirely. I can't see how the Coroner can proceed without this information, which could only be properly carried out by a professsional accident investigation unit such as the AAIB or RNFSAIC. I would think someone could confirm this, one way or another?
Wrathmonk - sorry! Yes, indeed those reports will not be open source for some time! If, however, they are in existence, one presumes the authors will called by the Coroner very soon and then we will see what follows on from there. As I am sure you appreciate, there could be a number of possibilities.
Sadly, it is highly likely that the gutter press will focus on the sensational aspects and miss the true gist of what the coroner is seeking to ascertain. I fear this Inquest will be very difficult for the all concerned. Let's hope the quality journos report the important facts and that the outcome really does help 'prevent recurrence'.
Jacko - I agree; let's not taint the whole fleet (and their supervisors) just yet.
flipster