That may well have been the case also, rmac, which is just as bothersome. Of course, it is far too early in the process for this little bit of speculation to have any weight to it. We don't know if the switch being like that is normal on this aircraft, and we don't know what the switch selection was on the accident flight. All we know is that these unfortunate souls ended up where they did, and with the aid of a modern GPWS/TAWS, that should not have happened.