For those interested, here is a link to a BEA summary of the Drift Group report; nothing really new though, but it gives an idea how BEA sees the report:
http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/vol....de.travail.pdf
What is perhaps no longer news either, but I had missed that so far during the holiday period, is that AFP quoted the French State Secretary for transport, Dominique Bussereau who talked on 12 July last talked about a possible fourth search phase:
"I shall have beginning of September the elements from the Bureau des enquêtes-analyses (BEA) that will allow me to propose a possible resumption of the search".
It may sound over-obvious, but this is what he apparently said in addition to that: "The analysis of the three search phases has demonstrated places where one does not need to go back to, places where one perhaps should return to because one of the [search] phases has perhaps missed something and places where we have not been".
AFP also notes that "the decision [about a next search phase] may be deferred if the analysis of the previous phases takes more time than foreseen."
BEA-director, Jean-Paul Troadec, is said to be favourable to launch a fourth phase: "The balance sheet [of the searches] has not been finished but we think we have used powerful means that should permit us to detect the wreckage".
In that context he also is to have said that the searchers so far have found on the ocean floor objects that are a good size smaller than the wreckage.
"We will try to make the point that a new [search] phase has chances. If we look at the right place, we'll have to find the wreckage, except when it is in a very deep crevice and consequently no technical means will be able to find it", according to Troadec.
regards,
Dutch