747FOCAL (is that you "J", formerly with Pan-Am Express/Cimber Air [Berlin] and Air Mauritius A-340 ops?): The so-called procedure that the TWA pilots were blamed for, was dreamed up by Boeing, in order to explain what happened to the airplane. Boeing was very nervous after it happened, and had to create any plausible procedure to 'pin on' the crew, which would reduce the aircraft's liability. It was apparently believable enough for many US airline 727 pilots to have suspected that they did such a bizarre procedure, which guys with fifteen or more years on the 727 (even as FE instructors...) had never heard of. The Captain was already fortunate to have recently flown aerobatic planes and had almost no time to recover, but good old Boeing and the NTSB had many weeks and even months to be 'Monday morning quarterbacks' and second-guess the one intense 'play', so long after the 'game'.
Boeing must have done an excellent job 'cooking up' those steps (they have the factory and the technicians who could invent it), which convinced many people that many pilots were already aware of it. By the way, I've never been trained on the 727.
1) The crewmembers counter-sued Boeing (or the NTSB?) and won.
2) What proof or personal testimony (on the part of any of the crewmembers) is there, that any of the crew did what they were accused of?
3) Why did the aircraft maintenance logbook page from the same aircraft ship number, which detailed documented problems with the slat, disappear for so many years and not long ago reappear, according to 'Aviation Week & ST' magazine?