SSD,
Although I must disagree with your general consensus on how the pilot performed under the circumstances (due to reasons given by other posters), there is absolutely no denying that your thoughts regarding training and the airline industry are correct and I wholeheartedly agree.
And to take it a notch further, it is mildly frightening when you learn that this pilot was an airline cadet who was presumably selected against the majority due to certain attributes.
I've attended them airline assessments, they're a load of bollocks (no bitterness here, I passed them) and can never determine who will snap and who will stay still like a rock under pressure.