How could the crew (and engineering) have known at the time of failure that there wasn't more to it than a simple engine failure?
ACARS.
Most pilots today have absolutely NO incentive to continue a flight which could reflect badly on his or her record. Most airlines have absolutely NO incentive to endanger their passengers.
The A380 "knows" more about its engines, etc., through sensors and monitors than you probably knew about your children attending school.
It's nice to see the uproar, but this is really a non-issue - except for bored aficionados who desperately need something to talk about, something which lets them show how much they know about the industry and how much lore they can pull up.