@DW
why did he not level out at a sensible point and instead continue to drag the aircraft up towards "coffin corner"?
Excellent point. I think this is where bias comes in. When all you have in your hand is a hammer everything looks like a nail. To him he had pre-occupied his mind with getting higher to fix the problem. Then after AP disconnect he got confirmation bias coupled with an endorphin rush. I think this is the gremlin that we referred to as startled. As a pilot it is critical to understand that the brains perception can become biased during stress. This is effect amplified by modern highly automated cockpits.