From the NZALPA letter in the above post ...
This failure was beyond the pilots' control and knowledge; additionally, it's not clear whether the accident wouldn't still have occurred had the flight manoeuvre been carried out at 14,000 feet instead of 3000ft.
The writer has only confirmed what has been discussed thoroughly in this thread, i.e. the pilots had been inadequately prepared for the "what ifs?" should something not proceed as anticipated during the demonstration of the Alpha(prot) functions. To apportion blame absolutely, or otherwise, is rather naive.
mm43