Originally Posted by
Machinbird
. . . The longer these things take to publish, the more I worry about special interests having a sway in the report.
. . . .
Machinbird, agree with you but, (and I know you know this, but for the sake of the discussion), there's a difference between the expertise required of all parties, and their particular "interests" in a "favourable-to-them" outcome.
Also, I think the requirement that everyone must agree prior to the release of the report, (which may have contributed to the new release date), is not prime requisite for a good report. In reality, there is never full concurrence in such matters, and dissent is important for understanding.
Dissent always exists of course but how it is handled differs between cultures. I think in such work dissent should be assessed for what it offers, (assuming it comes from equal levels of expertise and not mere politics or 'face').
I agree with you also that the human factors will be of interest, particularly, as you say, how the crew was interacting. IIRC, I believe it was the F/O who was flying?