Further observations.
The following re. the ADS-C (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contact) system if from Eurocontrol's website:
ADS-C : Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract
The basic concept of the ADS application is that the ground system will set up a contract with the aircraft such that the aircraft will automatically provide information obtained from its own on-board sensors, and pass this information to the ground system under specific circumstances dictated by the ground system (except in emergencies).
Contracts are INITIATED BY THE GROUND and CAN NOT be modified by the pilot.
Note that the contract is a 'dynamic agreement' between the ground system and the aircraft. It is not (as one could think) a piece of paper that has some legal value.
RTCA DO-212 : Minimum Operational Performance Standard (MOPS) for Airborne ADS equipment : Compliance with this standard is recommended as one means of ensuring that the equipment will perform its intended functions satisfactorily under all conditions normally encountered in routine aeronautical operations.
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Thus the aircrew may not have been a "manual" participant.