Loss of control at high altitude
How did it occur since this plane can perfectly be flown using pich & thrust ?
I wonder whether we should add hypothesis to the events already known like brutal turbulences (see the wind measures of the AMDAR flight at FL325), up/downdrafts, engines loss, inertial/artificial horizon loss, mid air break up, etc...
I see that a sudden AP disengagement as a consequence of problems already unfolding (Pitot freezing, icing of the airframe,...) can initiate a drift (altitude, roll/bank,...) that you have to notice/detect & control switfly at high altitude. It may be in a context of stress/frustration/tasks overload due to instrumental ambiguities/failures hard to understand and to isolate, multiples sound/visual alarms, new tasks and procedures to implement, loss of flight assistances possibly for the rest of the flight... In a context of very poor visibility & possible spatial disorientation (despite the artificial horizon), shared/split attention, etc...
I see that all these Pitot symptoms may go hand in hand with stall alarms like in the Air Caraïbe case, 30 sec after the AP disengagement (possibly overspeed alarms in other cases) and that pilots are instructed to take them in account and react accordingly. Meaning that this plane was not piloted according to a normal pich a thrust procedure that would otherwise have done it ?
It may also be that the first copilot (37 yrs) was taking his duty, possibly replacing the Captain in this time frame (around 02:00Z).
If you cumulate these adverse elements, wouldn't it be already enough to put a crew in a dire strait ? Does a high altitude loss of control require more hypothesis ?
Jeff