It is highly debatable that ALT II (b) actually killed 447. Some could argue that misidentification of a stall situation is the result of many different inputs and if the aircraft control law was at fault then Air France wouldn't have got so upset when the safety recommendations were published.
The very nature of our operation in aviation is such that an almost unlimited combination of failures and events can occur, with the likely, unlikely and even remotely conceivable designed for and considered by Airbus.
This AoA vane has been shown not to work after operational experience; the problem has been identified quickly, OEBs have been issued and (as uncomfortable as it is to think our aircraft can behave in erratic ways) the truth is that we as pilots make many more mistakes. How about the incident involving mis-selection of the rudder trim switch instead of the cockpit door lock? What happened after that?
As an A320 pilot, I did not feel comfortable reading the new OEB and background information. However, we can only follow the advice given, and for the rest rely on our training and experience, as we do in any other situation. Our job has inherent risks which we manage. Better we know about it now.
Last edited by The African Dude; 19th Dec 2012 at 12:47.