Originally Posted by
compressor stall
Did I go wrong postulating that an overbearing Captain possibly barked "gear" and a meek FO just moved the handle any way it would go?
We'll learn eventually, but that is my guess as well.
If true, it's a coarse play by Providence. The only thing that intersected that crew's universe with the world of normal piloting, is to call L/G down at 5 NM and they did. One of them moved the handle in the opposite direction and with that
the one and only normal SOP call blew a hole below the waterline. Probably the F/O having had his brain squeezed out.
Sidenote: remarks had been made here that perhaps they saw the G/S upper false lobe, luring them to think the situation was manageable initially. If so, the confusion would double as that false G/S has an opposite polarity, i.e. the flight directors would be showing rubbish.