Without judgment, I am sure the rheostat at the Pitot Drain can sense moisture at any temperature, and its concomitant and metered increases in applied heat would have solved this problem. What? there isn't such a system?
For me, if prose and comment make it past the mod, I'm interested, and snide comment or "judgment" from others is as a gnat on a Buffalo. This "article" seems at first blush to be written for non-engineers, possibly to include non-pilots. Of course it attracts dismissal from those who don't understand that. It is quite reasonable to assume the junior pilot was flying from LHS, it's been proposed before. It is also supported by the supposition relative to Captain's post crash discovery, and the condition of the "crew rest" capsule, in which he most likely would have been without body restraint.
Investigation involves supposition, that is a fact. It may germinate from a seemingly wild piece of evidence, or none at all. Therefore, to discount a line of reason without reason is as unhelpful as the wildest of proposals.
Yes, this article seems to defend the pilots. Yes, its genesis came from a pilot. Is that a connection to exclude? Of course not, just as ignoring the connection of the authority to the line and manufacturer must be considered.
Look at the recovered spoiler. Assess the condition of the VS/Rudder.
Think of the A/S at upset, and Altitude. Ponder the history of the Thales, the unavoidable comparison to Boeing, (avoiding the knee jerk cheerleading), and the ACARS.
It is proposed that the a/c hit intact, at terminal velocity through the air.
If overspeeding was in play, and a Stall occurred to potentiate the lower a/s, think especially of the Kinetic energy at .83 Mach+ that had to have dumped very quickly, and bearing that in mind continue to consider that the a/c impacted as 'concluded', intact.
Considering what is improbable comes with looking at the (few) pieces left after any accident. It isn't Faith or Politics that must drive the analysis, but an open mind. The most important thing is to mitigate the cause of this tragedy, not protect or condemn any party to it. Pathology, if taken seriously, is a lonely place. The real beneficiaries of the Truth are the humans who trust their lives to this very complicated and wonderful enterprise of Flight. If either Arnaux or Gourgeon end up looking like fools, or worse, no skin off me.