Accident investigations
I throw my lot in with Sv, and his approach to the investigation of this terrible accident.
I apologize if I appear to be harsh with respect to my opinions of the Airbus design, but I feel I am more than qualified to comment on ANY CRAFT that is fly-by-wire. I base my opinions upon both my technical background and piloting background.
As Smilin' states, many factors can contribute to "cause", including supervisory, training, crew discipline, etc. However, first thing an accident board does is look at mechanical factors, then human factors. Sure, weather is a player, but only to the extent it may have precipitated an aircraft system problem or a situation that the crew could not handle.
My primary complaint is a reversion process that requires too much thought by the aircrew as to what is still working and what "protections" are lost and/or must be dealt with as in a "normal" aircraft. As Sv states, the flight controls are between the human and the aircraft control surfaces. So it bears the closest scrutiny, especially considering previous incidents involving the same type aircraft.
will answer specific questions later, as we await the next "interim" report/finding.