I have had enough of this Crap (hence my callsign!)
I am tired of all the armchair experts.(including you 411A) who all have their expert opinions of areas beyond their proffessional expertise. All your bull**** is subject to any facts or (questionable??) reports.
Unfortuneately, you MUST wait for the official facts.
As for circling approaches, I am going to throw in a huge controversy:
I believe (after flying heavy jet transports for in excess of 35 yrs (probably similar to you 411A) and many circling approaches) that a circling approach in a current jet transport aircraft is an extremely HIGH RISK manoeuvre for which a successful outcome is positive for the EGO of the pilot, but a non-successful outcome can be FATAL to ALL on board. (I do not care whether the criteria is 2nm or 2.3nm.).
I have been a passenger in the back of an aircraft doing a circling approach, and I have resolved never to be in that position again. (I now resort to the internet weather forecasts before boarding the flight.)
Accordingly, in the absence of any risk/benefit analysis, I recommend that any 'circle to land manoeuvres' for JET transports be BANNED. You kids in your Cherokees, Navajos and Glass Cockpit 320s please go ahead and do circling approaches.
BUT I plan to be on the ground when you aces do so.
Please realise that you cannot throw around a transport airplane the way you would like to throw around a Pitts.