Originally Posted by bsieker
You'll notice that he uses the same grip to get from reverse back to forward idle (going a bit past and pushing firmly back to idle stop, as other pilots said is normal.)
Quite correct, bsieker - maybe, as you imply, it's just that particular pilot's 'patent' grip. Possibly he uses it to make sure he keeps the movement of both handles exactly even, rather than the 'twist of the wrist' that most pilots use. But looking at the video again, another point occurred to me that I don't think has previously been discussed; the question of the reverser latches.
As far as I know the A320 is unique among Boeing/Airbus designs in having the same levers do duty both as throttles and reverser levers. Boeing have completely-separate reverser levers, other Airbus marques have reverser levers built in to the top of the main throttle levers; but these are also separate. As far as I know, in all the separate lever types, the reverser levers won't move at all unless both (or all four) throttles are at idle.
With the A320 approach, there also has to be a safety-catch arrangement preventing the accidental movement of one or both of the 'dual-purpose' levers into the reverse position in the wrong circumstances. On researching this I found that this takes the form of safety-latches in front of, and at the base of, each lever; which have to be lifted before the levers can be moved into the 'reverse thrust' section of the throttle quadrant.
Looking again at the Madeira video oner can clearly see that that pilot, in order to lift the latches, had to reach quite far over the handles, with his fingers extended and his wrist possibly resting on the top of the handles.
Seems to me that this arrangement (unique to the A320, as far as I know) could, in a situation where the pilot was intent on selecting reverse on one engine only, materially increase the risk of the OTHER handle being accidentally knocked, if not right up to the CLB detent, at least out of the 'Idle' detent?
Hunitng round for a picture of the A320 throttle setup I chanced on this article. It does indeed provide a picture of the console (from which you can see how far 'over' the throttle handles the reverser-latches are) but i discover that it also provides quite a lot of analysis of the Congonhas accident and also discusses several other 'one-reverser-inop.' accidents, all but one involving A320s, in which the same 'misplaced lever on inop. side' cause was found to have been to blame.
http://www.airaccidentdigest.com/0807_story3.php