[A2017U1]

The preliminary investigation report is due out 29th Nov.

Boeing is already being sued.

A bit OT but how hasn't the cockpit voice recorder been found yet? It's been weeks while giving off a detectable ping and is in 30m of water, that's recreational level diving. You simply follow signal strength.

Given the big economic hit that occurred last time when Indonesian carriers were banned from Europe you have to wonder whether they actually want to find it.

[cyberferret]

I think I read somewhere that they are not getting the 'pings' from the Cockpit Voice Recorder like they did the Flight Data Recorder, which was recovered.

I believe the force of impact, which was almost vertically nose down at high speed just caused such a shattering of the airplane that it might have fatally destroyed the CVR, or else driven it under many feet of mud and silt.

Re: Your last point - I think this time around the CVR could vindicate the crew and point the blame at Boeing, so it may seem in their best interest to recover it and have extra proof for the court case. Then again, the level of corruption in Indonesia could affect what happens with the recovery process.

[userbinator]

The CVR is mounted next to the FDR so they should search in approximately the same place, and it probably won't be damaged if the FDR wasn't. It's more likely to be buried, as you note.