You've hit it on the head! I honestly don't believe these guys knew what they were ab
The weather radar range was about 80-100 nm depending on tilt and gain adjustment. Usually there are 2 radar screens in the cockpit with different gain adjustments for different ranges. At approx 480 kt that is about an 8-10 minute window to become aware of the weather. Often coffee or snacks are brought up to the cockpit and a few minutes of conversation ensues. Not paying attention to the radar screen is possible for a few minutes, but I don't buy this scenario when the ITCZ is just ahead. The lack of mesoscale instability weather detection by the radar is a central question.
In regard to the recent threads on the bodies, I believe the BEA knows a lot more than was made public and should be made public. Consider the families of the deceased souls , the rapid gasification of the floating bodies and body parts, and the presence of sharks in the water and you will conclude that recovering the bodies was not pleasant for the French and Brazilian divers and crew, and this is not a good subject for the press.