Would a few additional (and specific) aural warnings be helpful?
Instead of repeatedly blaring 'STALL, STALL, STALL' until the plane impacts the ocean -- would it make sense to briefly interrupt that alarm to convey other critical information, so long as the stall is at a high enough altitude that there is time to convey vital additional information?
For instance, might 'ANGLE OF ATTACK 48 degrees' have been far more helpful to the 8501 crew than yet another round of 'STALL, STALL, STALL' ? (With the stall warning then resuming, so the crew isn't misled into thinking the stall has been remedied).
(If 48 degrees is too late to recover, then substitute an appropriate number to trigger the first alert.) The computers may distrust such high AoA numbers, but the warning hopefully will have alerted the pilots to a potentially excessive AoA, which they may be able to quickly verify and ensure they are making appropriate inputs.
Also -- With 8501, the Cptn may have been aware of dual inputs -- CVR excerpts have him giving instructions to the FO-- yet neither may have realized their inputs were in conflict.
Perhaps a "CONFLICTING INPUT - PITCH" aural alert (between the rounds of 'STALL, STALL') would be helpful, when the input deviations are substantial (and possibly if the computer also recognizes that the plane's current pitch/AOA is very abnormal).
Such a warning should immediately alert the flight crew to conflicting inputs, and also that one pilot may need to assert control. (They already "know" that, but bitter experience shows in very stressful situations some basics can get overlooked.)
I understand the importance of not overloading pilots with too much input. However, am I wrong to think that interposing a few specific aural warnings might be more useful than just repeatedly blaring "STALL, STALL"?
It would require some software and perhaps even hardware modifications (and careful testing to ensure new problems are not introduced). I don't know if there would be legal issues, such as certifications.
But something must be done. More training is vital, but only one part of addressing this problem (especially if under extreme stress some pilots seem to be overlooking basics). Unfortunately, the reality we face is a rapid global expansion of aviation coupled with a strong emphasis on beancounting and relatively little experience handflying.
Given this, would it make sense to add a few very specific alerts as a last layer of defense, at the critical moment when a fatal accident may be imminent?