You have to remember that this is not a normal accident! AAIB is Air Accident investigation not AIR Murder investigation
Exactly. The situation is that the facts point to criminal action - to the point that an "innocent" explanation is pretty much implausible.
I really do admire and respect the painstaking work done by accident investigators. I'm often fascinated by Air Crash Investigation on TV. And I appreciate that the careful methodic approach of these professionals has done much to enhance air safety over many years.
Equally however, some crimes is so heinous that it is irresponsible and unreasonable to not release the information as soon as criminal investigators are clear what happened. They don't know all the fine details, and their investigation is ongoing. But they know the big picture. They wouldn't be releasing this information on the world stage if it was just one possible explanation - or even if it was just the most likely explanation. They are quite certain of the explanation.
Timely and transparent release of information is important for the relatives - who aren't even going to get a body to bury. Early answers are important to help the relatives process this awful event. The relatives of MH370 (and for two years those of AF447) have endured a special kind of hell. Early answers were not possible with those two events. But when everyone can see a plane fragmented on the side of the mountain and when innocent explanations are quickly excluded. who would really tell the relatives they will have to wait until the investigation is completed? And imagine the awful backlash if the truth only came out months later when it was known with certainty in the first couple of days.
There are security considerations also. Quick measures being implemented may not stop a 2nd incident. There are no guarantees when dealing with this sort of event. But just imagine is there was a 2nd event while the accident investigation was ongoing.
Remember the crucial accident investigation will be ongoing quietly in the background. And I am supremely confident in the ability of the accident investigators to do their important job not distracted by the information released by the criminal investigators. And if they find it was something else, then that will come out. But I don't think anyone really believes that is going to happen.
I would even go further than this. Maybe the release of information from the criminal investigators is taking the pressure and the media spotlight off the accident investigators, and allowing them to get on with their job.
Whenever the world changes, we have to change also. That may mean a departure from previous practice. But such change is sometimes inevitable as it is forced upon us.