what kind of seat-of-the-pants sensation the pilots were experiencing with a 10,000fpm descent? Were give hey in a "steady-state" of some kind with no sensations?
Aside from having your ears "pop" as the pressure increases from, what is it, 8,000 feet altitude to sea level, if you're falling straight down, I'm not sure what would give you a clue aside from the altimeter.
This was a dark and stormy night, so remember external cues were non-existent.
I've always heard it called the "baby barometer" when infants wail on descent, as they are far less able to equalize the pressure differential in their ears as pressure increases.
This is why flight attendants used to hand out gum for children to chew ,which helps open the air channels, hence reduce pressure / pain / wailing, or at least let a child suck on something, be it a teething ring or momma's breast (discretely).