Bet those guys could type a mean ILS....
So many factors here for the industry. Likely sims since ab initio training. Can't replicate stalls very well. Probably could've used a lot more MCA flight in the region of reverse command.
Fly by wire joysticks where the opposite pilot has no idea about the other's control inputs. We always say the guy holding the stick is the "dumbest guy in the cockpit." the pilot monitoring or relief pilot can most easily see the big picture since half his brain isn't also articulating the plane.
Interesting note about "alternate law" in fly by wire. The airplane won't allow a stall in the pilots mind. However, in this case of degradation, or load/system shed, it did. Too many rules/laws to remember while chips down.
There is too much dependence on autopilot in the industry. Skills of hand flying degrade over time. I'd like to see an industry wide swing back towards hand flying some of the time. If the only time you hand fly is during an emergency and with system or information degredation and high stress - it ain't gonna be pretty. IMHO, best pilots often switch from full automation, to partial auto, to mostly manual, to full manual and practice each consistently. It does take effort, one can't
be lazy. Sadly, that very thing is against some company's rules.
Everytime they make planes, crash or idiot proof, someone will find a better way to crash one. What's the saying "they keep making better idiots." No disrespect to these or other pilots. This is true in a lot of ways in our lives.
There were so many external factors clouding judgement or possibly pushing them to react someway we wouldn't expect. An example is an empty NW 727 that stalled in from 30,00 in the late '70's. Pitots iced. A/s acting like an altimeter. Stall shaker confused for overspeed. Kept pulling back to stop overspeed. In their minds an empty airplane explained 25 degree deck angles and overspeed...
Lastly, a deep stall in a sweptwing can be real ugly to recover. Sadly, doing everything right in recovery can take an easy 10,000 ft or more. With a decent track of 41 degrees, the plane would have had to nose what, 60 plus degrees to get flow over the wing? You eat up altitude in a hurry pointing down that far in an airliner. I say almost unrecoverable by 20,000 or so feet, depending on how deep the stall.
Just my opinion and things we discuss. Thank god aviation is so safe. Let's make it better.