hand flying
The answers to my query in #544 about hand flying at cruising level appear to be "Not if I can avoid it..."
The PF on AF447 may have seldom hand flown at cruising level. If, and just if, he had gripped the SS too firmly with his fingers, would this, could this, induce a NU, which in turn would be taken as an order by the trimmer, slowly to wind on full NU ?
A gradual change of whatever indication there may be of the amount of trim might have been overlooked - there was a lot going on. ( I might have a light flash on when more than 75% has been used, just to remind me.)
40 years ago when I was talking to my SLF (as we then could), my F/O reported that the A/P had gone wrong. could I come? We were in a slow descent into the opposite traffic flow. He seemed to have forgotten that the control column could be used above F/L 10.0. He was able to practice all the way home, but at M .5 !