Automation Complacency
What worries me as your average SLF, is that the FBW / computer systems on commercial aircraft are apparently almost totally dependent on a single instrument, namely the pitot tube.
Is their no backup system available in the event of pitot tube failure?
With the technology available today, surely there is an alternative means available for an aircraft's computer system to establish it's airspeed without simply disconnecting the AP?
This situation began because the AP disconnected, and the situation degraded because the pilots did not understand what was going on.
Pilot error is surely a factor in this case, but a more significant factor is the failure of aircraft manufacturer's to recognise that automated systems should be designed as an adjunct to a pilots flying skill and training, and not as a substitute for it.