MarkerInbound
Making a steep turn at low level and low speed is never a good idea.
If they had climbed straight ahead, even at that minimal rate of climb, they might have been able to nurse it around gently and land back.
I noticed this as well, but it doesn't add up at all.
Personally, I highly doubt this was an intentional control input. Considering they must have realized early on, that they were at or beyond the performance envelope for the aircraft, there's about a zero percent chance any pilot would maneuver like that. In fact, you'd want to nurse the aircraft around slowly - or put it down somewhere (anywhere) if you're unable to make the turn.
This kinda reminds me of American 191. Is it possible that some sort of damage had allowed asymmetrical slat retraction on one wing? That diving bank angle just looks like a wing stall or something damage-induced.
I'm not sure what type of hydraulic failure could allow this, but maybe someone with more knowledge can chime in for me.