HC,
In my experience teaching in the Sim.....I and other instructors noted a distinct tendency amongst pilots of all backgrounds to immediately kick off the AutoPilot and grab manual control when Alarms and Warning Lights of any kind activated.
Is there a technical reason the crew would have had to take the Action they did with the Auto Pilot in this accident? Was there a SOP, Flying Instruction or similar that dictated such a response prior to the onset of control issues or the decision to descend?
Considering the engine issues.....the report states the engines were sustaining flight despite the unusual indications which fit no checklist procedure. Would the aircraft have maintained flight on a single engine at the weight, temps, and altitude they were operating?
If the Factory could obtain a control degradation by test flying the profile used by the crew.....is that a "normal" situation for the Aircraft Model in question and has it been documented before the accident during testing? Is there a design flaw in the flight control system that is inherent to the design?
Is this another example of problems akin to but different of the EC Jack Stall problem in the 350/355 series?