After re-reading the BEA reports, I have just noticed a rather critical erratum in the preliminary report which was corrected on page 7 of the first interim report (15/12/2000).
Rather significantly to my earlier post, it says that, with reference to the control column position graph, positive values indicate nose down input rather than nose up, which was how it was shown on the key in the preliminary report.
What this means is that contrary to what I had previously believed, the pilot was constantly using nose down input to the control column from about 12 seconds after rotation. This is especially significant at around time 97667, where it appears the AoA begins to climb out of control. I had originally thought that the pilot responded by pulling the stick back through some 4 degrees (which seemed to make little sense, I admit).
It appears to me now that Marty was indeed trying to hold the AoA to around 12-13 degrees for the bulk of the flight against a tendency to go nose-up, rather than trying to hold the nose of the aircraft up to maintain height, as I had originally thought.
What a difference a little "+" sign makes!
[Edited for the usual typos]
[ 04 September 2001: Message edited by: Covenant ]