Originally Posted by SeenItAll
I think this is too charitable. The one thing that we know they knew is that they were descending very rapidly. Aerodynamically, there are two ways for this to be the case: (a) they were in a deep (and fast) head-first dive; or (b) they were in a full tail-first stall. [Note, I am excluding the situation of the plane being fully laid over on its side.] Is it possible that things were so upset in the cockpit that over the course of three minutes in this attitude they were unable to discern the 60+ degrees of pitch difference between (a) and (b) -- and to remain convinced that it could only be (a)? I guess "yes," because the computer game stall warning was "god," aerodynamics be damned.
Except we do not have all the facts, nor lives on the line. How do you eliminate any margin of doubt and come to blame pilots. Even if they would have correctly identified a stall how would they recover. It is not a fighter, it was a fully loaded transport a/c. I read somewhere that they had 40 secs to correctly identify stall and begin recovery. Even then recovery could fail. Not a big time window given the confusing circumstances. 80% piltots have opposite/wrong reflex to stall warning. He was young and inexperienced, perhaps he was not in your 20%. This was all dumped on him by a long list of errors (training, experience, CRM, ALT law, software design, pitot fail, policy, accountants, weather...). Yes he made the wrong call. IMHO the question should be why not who.