Obidiah, I think you may have made an incorrect assumption when you said 130 KIAS
The way I read the sequence it was 0753:00 and no gear horn 130 KIAS/1000 fpm some thrust from the surging engine
The report describes the speed as "Derived airspeed: 130 kts"
I think perhaps that the speed was 'derived' from the radar recorded groundspeed and adjusted for the 'wind' at the time.
If that is the case, and the 'derived airspeed' was a TAS of 130 knots, therefore the IAS (@ 7000 feet) would be about 110 knots.
After AW reported shutting down an engine @ 07.53.33 his 'derived airspeed' was 120 knots (@ 6100 feet), that would make his IAS roundabouts 105 knots. (much closer to blue line than some people here seem to think)
If I am incorrect about how the 'derived airspeed' in the report was calculated, then everything I have written above is BS of course.
Increased RoD during the turn back to BWU would most likely have been the cause of the higher descent rate without a consequent speed increase.
edit.
Reading this report makes we weep for the families of the victims.
It seems to me that AW gave it a 'good shot' considering the situation he was in and with the tools he had at hand.
I hope that a lot of the 'younguns' in GA read the report and take away some lessons to enhance their own skills and decision making processes.