Will the aircraft be lost if it goes dark? No one can answer that save those in that boat, but I can say that it's a scenario we get at every simulator recurrent, and we had it a few months ago on the line at night in a very mountainous hostile area. The stabilization items on that procedure are two in number, and worked. We had three distinct problems, but the first two steps gave back power and the third restored essential power. The rest was a function of the checklist.
The assertion of the thread isn't that skills might erode in the presence of automation, however. The assertion of the thread is that an intentional, determined effort is underway on an international basis by airline management "beancounters" to undermine and diminish airmanship. This is not happening.
Who has suggested that a pilot can be reduced to a "button pusher?"
The problems you witnessed were caught and handled in training, as you described. Accordingly, wherein in the failure of the system? Did the "beancounters" attempt to undermine this process and force the deficient into the system, or suggest that greater training would be a waste or excess of valued funds? Seems that your post suggests that the system does work. It catches, and corrects fault, and that training is beneficial.
For those who received the necessary training, were the problems solved? Is it possible, then, that without regard to rogue "beancounters" who run amok among us, training might be one of the key ingredients in ensuring standardization and proficiency, and upholding the indefinite yardstick of airmanship?