I personally am beginning to lean in the direction of an Airbus system problem and away from aircrew causality other than flying into the wrong part of the ITCZ. In other words, I suspect it wouldn't have mattered who was flying the aircraft.
We will have to find the recorders to know for certain but I am beginning to see potential Swiss Cheese holes in Airbus system design. Look at the bottom of post 1681, next to last paragraph, for an example.
I am not knocking Airbus design, they have come a tremendous distance from what I have flown in the past. It is just that there may be yet more work to do.