BOAC:
To answer your pilotage question, Mr Occam suggests to me a scan breakdown (and PNF heads down in a display/ECAMS series of tasks) in the style of
artificial horizon/attitude indicator
+
altimeter/altitude strip
dropped out of the PF's scan in favor of something else (something to do with airspeed or secondary effects of that system having a hiccup).
Attention thus diverted, a small input in the stick over time became substantial THS deflection ... hence the 30 seconds of inexplicable nose up input, and beginnings of roll series.
This guess derived from a few years of testing two seat crews with a variety of malfunctions and seeing some focus (as a team) on the malfunciton, and others dividing tasks, one flying, one troubleshooting.
The CVR info might be helpful in understanding how close a guess this is to actual events.
@bearfoil: it does not appear that a/p is required to penetrate turbulence, though I think every AB pilot would prefer it. From what the AB pilots have shared in the various threads, one could (gasp) hand fly by using conventional scan pattern and gently setting and keeping an attitude (nose) and wings as level as possible as one rides out the bumps.
Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 6th Jul 2011 at 12:57.