Yes, I see that. As SLF who am I to know, however climb is exactly what they did in the first instance and subsequently they were faced with rapidly unwinding height by which time their previous height limit was a fading memory. Two possiblities then, they were stalled, knew it and didn't begin to start a plausible recovery owing to what.....bad training/inappropriate SOP's, bad execution or second, didn't get the diagnosis right and were then flummoxed ? Had the Captain got all the facts when he returned (about which there is doubt) perhaps he could have illuminated the fog. If (biggish if I grant you), even he couldn't get at least a timely start to a stall recovery going isn't the simplest explanation that they didn't realise they were stalled ?
Sorry, just saw the subsequent post !