There are a several QRH procedures that call for
Full Back Stick.
WIND SHEAR:
SRS ORDERS .... FOLLOW
This includes the use of full back stick if demanded.
If the FD Bars are not available , use an initial pitch attitude of 17.5 degs with full back stick, if necessary.
WINDSHEAR AHEAD:
Thrust Levers ….. TOGA
SRS ORDERS .... FOLLOW
This includes the use of
full back stick, if required.
EGPWS ALERTS
PITCH ….. PULL UP
Pull to
full back stick and maintain in that position
THRUST LEVERS …. TOGA
The pilots will have practised all of those procedures in the simulator, and will have gone away with the association of TOGA and Full back stick seems to work OK. Piloting skills don't seem to be required, simply pull back and let the computer fly the aircraft in pitch.
It is not mentioned anywhere that the "piloting technique" of respecting Alpha Max should be employed, and to relax the back pressure when very close.
Is it reasonable to ask a pilot to fly one particular way when in Normal Law, and a different way when in Alternate Law?
If AB had fitted a side stick buzzer, which was activated when approaching ALPHA MAX in NORMAL LAW, then he might have had the opportunity to practice flying the correct pitch attitude / angle of attack during the Wind Shear and EGPWS Alerts, on the edge of the Stick Buzzer / Shaker.
It may have reminded him to respect the stick shaker, when at FL 350, rather than go for TOGA & FULL Back stick again.
One solution is to simply change the crew - but if they failed to recognise their predicament due cockpit design, training, QRH procedures, etc. then you can bet there will be another crew able to do the same somewhere else.
@gums
You must first of all, and lastly, be a pilot.
I agree 100%.
@ventus45
It is way past high time that the "sim level D" mindset is smashed.
We had to do all our B707 emergency exercises in real life, Stalling, Emergency Descent, EFTO etc. Unfortunately we were writing off more aircraft during training than we did in normal passenger operations. There was no good reason to continue using the real thing once simulator fidelity came close. A crew learns far more by freezing the sim before impact than chatting to them in their hospital beds - or worse.