If the a/c is certified to 41,000, I can expect it was a big surprise to the crew when they got both a stall and a double engine flameout.
It seems that there are weights and temperatures that allow that altitude and others that don't.
Did the crew's training cover variation of maximum altitude with weight and temperature?
Did the crew's training address what could happen in a high altitude upset and what would lead to one?
Or was the crew just told to conform to whatever dispatch fed them without understanding the constraints?
What would happen to a crew that felt a higher altitude than that given by dispatch would obtain better conditions?
What knowledge would they need to make a good decision?