Rust Never Sl......
(SLF with interest in int'l aviation legal context and the major organizations especially those centered in Montreal . . .)
While awaiting both some revelations from the reading of the recorders and also the prelim report, it is a fair and proper question, at the very least, to ask: was "rust" from inactivity in the pandemic's wake a factor? Particularly if a gear retracted landing is revealed as factual, and the unstable approach at 5nm and 3500 also warrants some particular note - both according to many prior posts.
ICAO's Council, in one of the very first official actions under the new Council President, organized a COVID-19 Aviation Recovery Task Force with regard to returning from the pandemic (cleverly short-formed as CART). Initial report due by end of this week -- or it was, before this accident. Will the CART first workproduct address this accident even if just with reminders about "rust" being a potential concern?
And IATA and ACI already have issued their first pronouncements.
......
Several posts have pointed to a likelihood, at least, of auditory and situational-awareness filtering, I think the aviator term is "startle". Kind of reminiscent of the tunnel vision theme hammered into oblivion and cliche about Air Canada 759 and its landing attempt lined up on a taxiway in San Francisco couple years ago. Makes a person wonder; ordinary, routine times still yield infrequent or very infrequent incidents like that, quite possibly partly due to fatigue, which should be well understood, but sometimes isn't. But, who understands this "rust" of which many have spoken?