It was pilot incompetence all the way.
I agree, from all we know, that the crew did not understand some of the basics; and it is even said that letting go would/could have saved them.
What I also reflect on is knowledge. Reading the posts from various AB pilots (I'm not one) it seems there is a varied amount of knowledge & understanding of all the possibilities, laws and handling characteristics on AB a/c. There will be pilot geeks, trainers and others who know everything and can recite it all. There will be the average, and even below average, line pilot who operates every day in an ideal world where nothing goes wrong, radically, and does not understand all the nuances. This then cause me to ask about the 'competence' of the initial TR training and regular recurrence training.
Perhaps people in the know can inform us. There will be readers who themselves know if they have an in-depth knowledge of all that has been discussed; and they will know why they might feel ignorant. Is it due to lack of training or lack of self application? Equally there will be those who now it all and can tell us how & why? What is the difference in airline training syllabi? If it can be identified that some operators deal only in the ideal basics then a review of training regimes can be made and corrected.