Latest AAIB report is out...
http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/publicati...er__g_ymmm.cfm
Let me peruse it...
---------- Post added at 17:30 ---------- Previous post was at 17:11 ----------
Interesting - the autopilot was in charge down to 175ft when it gave up trying to fly the plane, so the actual 'hero pilot wrestling with controls' bit can't have been more than the last few seconds. More like 'pilots faced with impossible conditions wonder what the hell happened and try to follow procedures'.
It had over three tonnes more fuel than expected on landing, so there was no shortage there.
The AAIB is very interested in temperatures over Mongolia and the Urals during the flight, since it had to descend due to the cold (a bracing -76C). However, the fuel never got cold enough to freeze.
Nothing wrong with the major aircraft systems including autothrottles and autopilot.
No birdstrike or FOD in the engines.
Both engine fuel pumps were damaged by cavitation. This is highly interesting, as this is caused by air bubbles coming out of solution in liquid due to a sudden reduction in pressure, then hitting something solid and bursting, resulting in a short sharp jet of hot liquid. Nasty stuff.
Fuel quality was fine.
There were some small items of debris in some of the fuel tanks, which may or may not be relevant.
Rather alarmingly, the fuel hadn't been cut off to the engines after the crash, so it could easily have gone up in flames. They've advised Boeing of this, since it resulted from BA (with Boeing's approval) modifying the checklist so it was possible to get the two essential steps in the wrong order (basically because each pilot had one step to do, and thus could easily execute them in the wrong order).