BULL****!!!!! There is absolutely NOTHING fishy about it. The copilot was ejected from the aircraft, still strapped in his seat and unconscious when found. Amnesia from this exact type of trauma is common, I know personally of two previous examples. He is not covering his ass and I am irate that you even insinuate this!!! Yes, per his recollection after everything he's been through, he believed in his interviews that the approach was normal but we knew from just days after the accident that this wasn't true.
Second, there is again absolutely nothing fishy about the lack of knowledge regarding the FIR, nor was it a "paperwork glitch". There was zero knowledge of the FIR being installed on the aircraft. Before the decision was made to destroy the aircraft, everything of importance was thought to have been removed from the scene, it wasn't until much later before the existence of the FIR was known. Destroying the aircraft was a shock to a lot of people but it was also a common procedure to do so in both Afghanistan and Iraq depending on the location of the site and the disposition of the aircraft. It was a shame that it happened but the decision was made by the leadership in theater who were more aware of the situation than the armchair detectives here.
I've been through both reports thoroughly and agree with parts from both but honestly don't fully understand what happened in those last precious seconds. With all due respect to BG Harvel, his conclusions are based upon sketchy analysis and highlight a lack of CV-22 technical knowledge. I and others know the facts of what happened that night but the "why" of what happened still has us scratching our heads, which is indeed unfortunate. I will state this unequivocally.....there was absolutely no coverup in either one of these reports!
Lastly, I've put up with the rhetoric on this thread for years now. The men on this crew were my close friends, I trained the pilots, and knew the Flight Engineer and his family for nearly twenty years. This is extremely personal to me, If anyone wants to vomit on their graves or reputations like I'm beginning to hear, I will not stand for it!