Owain.
If from the initial PITCH up command, the THS had been trimming the command, the a/c would have STALLED well before the top of climb, where there was no energy left, and the STALL was unfelt, unobserved (per your comment).
Had it not remained at -3.4, then, the a/c would have fallen out, buffeted, and the two man crew would be left with inescapable evidence that STALL recovery was a necessity. Point of fact, the a/c would have recovered on her own had she been allowed to STALL. Instead, the a/c drained energy until at full power, when it mushed into an attitude that was to remain until water contact.
After the loss of energy, the THS then started to trim in NU, and remained at 13.2 (-) until water contact. It stands to reason A) you are not wrong, and B), the lack of SA, CUES, and CRM prevented the crew from sussing the STALL.
No judgment, no accusation. It remains that had the a/c STALLED earlier, the cues would have been present and the outcome may have been different. No?
Last edited by Lyman; 1st Mar 2012 at 18:36.