Dozy:
To be fair, it would appear from the evidence we have to hand so far that it requires actions that would be pretty counter-intuitive from a trained pilot's perspective to do so though.
Not at all. In fact, just the opposite. A properly trained pilot would know intuitively that he must reduce AoA to get out of a stall and to do that, he must push forward on the stick and trim nose-down if necessary to get the needed nose-down moment. That is why I've been saying for a couple of threads now that the autotrim should drop out with the autopilot so that he doesn't find himself with too much nose up trim. Autotrim with the autopilot engaged is what you need to ensure that when the autopilot is disengaged you don't get big attitude excursions. When hand-flying, trim should be a deliberate act by the pilot. I agree with the opinion stated by someone else here, there was a lack of situational awareness which allowed the trim to go to full NU unnoticed. I think these guys were blindsided due to inadequate training. This is a pilot's opinion.
Originally Posted by rudderrudderrat
One has to wonder at the wisdom of starting with an aircraft concept which is naturally longitudinally speed stable, and design ALT LAW handling characteristics which allow the aircraft to be flown (with UAS), to stalling Alpha and beyond in a trimmed condition.
Rudderradderrat says it all.