Initial pitch-up
Quote from gums:
"...what bothers me most is the initial reaction and initial control inputs. Why not just "hold what you have'? So the flight directors may have provided bad cues and the crew blindly followed them."
This is the crux of the matter. What I think we can say beyond reasonable doubt is that the PF cannot have made a conscious decision to climb a significant amount above FL350. That he allowed a sustained climb seems inexplicable.
But one thing still bugs me: that sudden INDICATED loss of 300ft caused by the sudden drop of INDICATED IAS/CAS (my deliberate tautology). Pilots are generally unhappy to find they have lost (or gained) that much height in the cruise. The initial reaction may be to recover it asap, however unnecessary that haste may seem. Could this explain the PF's initial stick movement, if not the magnitude of it? If so, his subsequent preoccupation with roll control in roll-direct, and the startle factor causing him to tense up, may go some way to explaining his apparent inability to recognise his inappropriate pitch-up input, and correct it.
Last edited by Chris Scott; 21st Feb 2013 at 19:05.