How could they have "followed the bird" from the start ?
BEA page 75 :
At 2 h 10 min 47...... The Flight Directors not having been disengaged, the cross bars disappeared and reappeared several times without it being possible, at this stageof the investigation, to know what orders they may have indicated nor to establish if these orders influenced the actions of the PF.
FWIS, there was no attempt to use the bird before captain's suggestion :
BEA page 76
around 2 h 11 min 42.....the Captain said several times “take that”, doubtless speaking of the FPV
.
Hence the messages :
02:11:00 - .1/WRN/WN0906010210 228300106FLAG ON CAPT PFD FD
02:11:15 - .1/WRN/WN0906010210 228301106FLAG ON F/O PFD FD
02:12:10 - .1/WRN/WN0906010211 341200106FLAG ON CAPT PFD FPV
02:12:16 - .1/WRN/WN0906010211 341201106FLAG ON F/O PFD FPV