In this PPRuNe forum we have heard from many sharp minds who have no interest in commercial politics or the courtroom dance of legal fault-finding and finger-pointing and the messy business of claims and counterclaims. Most contributions have sought to distill from very scarce data credible, if not expert, explanations for the AF447 upset.
Too many scientists, consultants, corporations, international agencies and academic institutions have already been formally involved in the investigation to allow much space for the dark, secret places where conspiracies and data-suppression occur. Tacit agreements by handshake or mutually-shared interest, if at play, would still need to survive the pressure of world-wide scrutiny, and would necessarialy collapse if facts do not support the agreed-upon point of view. And there is always the threat of WikiLeaks for sunlight as a disinfectant.
There is simply not enough information or evidence about this incident for BEA to reach a satisfactory conclusion about cause. Otherwise, BEA would not be discussing a 4th search phase and would already be preparing a final report.
Perhaps BEA should take a happy lesson from the Chileans and stage the Phase 4 search as a very transparent but controlled "event" complete with corporate sponsors and advertising, IMAX film rights, interviews, and inside tracks to the reality of trans-oceanic flight, with undersea exploration and ROV footage at YouTube a bonus! The search would pay for itself using this 21st Century business model, but the authorities would need to think outside of the box. Chi chi chi, Le le le! I did hear that the Chilean mine video feed was on a 30-second delay loop, though, just in case. Probably more than one Canal+ producer in Paris has the experience to put it together and pull it off.
GB