@hotDog
I was referring to this crash
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A330_test_flight_crash
Lots of contributing factors but the critical one is that within the window of opportunity they had to regain control the tests pilots clearly did not fully understand what the plane was doing... And frankly any automation that will insist on reaching target altitude regardless of pitch angle and available thrust is questionable.
Anyway I believe that AB automation
is very well thought out and implemented. I also believe there are rare cases where the pilots, especially in dangerous and stressful situations, don't fully understand the imbrications of all those otherwise neat systems. At that time the "panic" button might come handy...