retracting flaps while the plane is stalled is not a good idea.
the only thing that makes sense in this tragedy is that the pilots did not understand they were in a conventional stall and thought they were in a a tailplane stall.
AND IF SO it is a clear indictment of poor training.
Yet adding power in a tailplane stall might be wrong too.
SO, I can just think that neither pilot was thinking very well (fatigue), hadn't been well trained, lacked discipline, and didn't avoid a stall in the first place.
The chit chat in the cockpit was about aviation and aviation problems...its not like they were talking about the Kentucky Derby.
30 years ago, the route from newark/new york to Buffalo would have been flown with a jet like the 727 , 737 or DC9. With better trained pilots, more days off, less fatigued and the like.
desitter is closer to right than positiverate in my view...though it is each particular situation that must be judged. (flying since 1975)
bringing the gear and flaps up doesn't make sense to me. not going to firewall power doesn't make sense to me. getting stalled in the first place doesn't make sense to me.
I wonder if the copilot had been taking any nasal decongestant product?
AT first blush I will have to agree with the bombarider witness who said a more experienced ( I read BETTER) pilot could have recovered.
SOME pilots are amazingly unaware of how the turboprop can slow down at IDLE upon leveling off...the blades are in effect a giant speed brake of drag at low power settings.
Perhaps the characteristics and ''feel' of the saab 340 vs. Q400 should be analyzed and compared...we often revert to the LAST plane we flew when fatigued.
This crash didn't have to happen. Its not like its raining Q400's.
I hope the lawyer for the families reads this post.