New crap
I have recently(the last two years) changed type from an old and reliable heavy machine to a new 'bells and whistles' heavy machine. As is normal, I am responsible for the lives of others when I operate this machine.
I have read the report and the above posts by wise instructors. Apart from disorientation I see very few similarities between this incident and the BLUN accident.
I am not sure whether I am a magenta person or somebody with no grass roots skills or what. I really do not believe that 'bush flying' or manual handling practice would help at all. I do not remember the single engine helicopters I flew having so little power that at max t/o weight you would have to dive to get going. The thousands of 'simple autopilot' hours I have flown have been relatively incident free(long may it continue).
What I can say is I do not properly understand the autopilot yet, even though I have had many hours in a simulator and in the machine and I am very keen to learn every trick. The manufacturer's instructions are poor at best. The English on the said instructions, their format and incompleteness make them some of the worst Flight Manual instructions I have ever read. Not only this but no computer based training exists for the fancy autopilot for me to exercise my old fashioned keenness to learn. It should. I could be more familiar with an A320 autopilot using a cheap off the shelf sim than I am with the autopilot I have to use professionally. Even a procedural trainer would do. The impression I have is that nobody, even the company that produced the machine, fully understand it yet. Maybe I am wrong and somebody out there understands it but certainly nobody has been able to come up with adequate instructions or training packages.
IMHO it is bad training, maybe lack of instructor experience or knowledge and rushed out, poorly supported equipment that is the underlying problem here.....and elsewhere.