@DOVES...
6: If I remember well some fuel had been transferred to the tail (which I suppose happens automatically during cruise, like on MD11, to reduce fuel consumption) making it even more hopeless, if they wanted and had tried, to exit the condition of deep stall they were in....
You are correct, the Tail tanks were full at the time of a/p loss (2:10:04.6). 10.5 thousand pounds of fuel. Initially the Cg computed by BEA was released to be right at the margin for flight (37.6?). Later, that value was retracted and replaced with ~ 28.7. In turbulence and experiencing rolling and pitching moments, the Cg may have been well aft, and exacerbated the inability to recover from the initial upset at a/p quit.....
Salaries and benefits of employees at BEA are partially paid by the revenue stream at Airbus...
The standard of investigation Stateside is the "mandatory avoidance of even the appearance of impropriety". It does not matter the acceptance of such a blatant conflict by apologists, the standard is the standard.....
Relying on the assumed honesty of the players is insufficient to exonerate the conflict, the report is tainted, has been right from the start.