The thing that really troubles me is WHY would a professional crew who fly regularly, presumably without incident, allow such an OFF THE SCALE event to manifest
I think this question is key. Why do professional pilots, after passing multiple, rigorous selection processes, and having been been trained according to generally accepted standards, with many years of experience (in most cases decades, together) and a presumably perfect track record, suddenly behave like amateurs, and take absolutely mind-boggling actions. I don't really have an answer.