@funfly:
As an SEP can I please ask you very experienced pilots a question?
If you are flying an (any) aircraft with no outside vis. and suspect instruments and your body and altimeter gave every indication that you were hurtling downwards at a high ft/sec. would it not be a 'normal' reaction to pull back on the stick irrespective of any flight instrumentation. Could this therefore be a case where old fashioned 'seat of pants' reactions were the wrong ones and less 'flying' training and more 'flight' training might, in this case, have yielded a better outcome.
What do you mean by "suspect instruments" in this case?
The primary scan instrument is your attitude indicator/artificial horizon. Unless the BEA find something new in their analysis, we are absent evidence of a failed attitude indication.
If I am flying IFR and my artificial horizon has tumbled or failed, I then have to use a partial panel scan (are my turn and slip working? Is my VSI working? Is my altimeter working?) If no to those questions, I am screwed mightily.
But if they are, I work my butt off via my partial panel scan to cross check to get back to straight and level. Recall: the A330 has three laser ring gyros, also called Inertial Reference Units. These feed the attitude indicators. (there is also a back up gyro on the ISIS display cluster).
All else considered, one thing I have to fight like hell is to overcome any feeling of seat of the pants, since in IMC it can give me the leans and kill me via the classic death spiral. (See JFK Junior for a tragic example of that ...)
To say it again, with feeling: if I am flying without visual reference to the horizon (on instruments), then seat of the pants sensations can fool me.
I have to, I must, use a disciplined instrument scan to ensure safe flying.
I am pretty sure that you will hear the same from every CFII you ever meet. I'd be stunned if you don't.