Handling emergencies is a big part of initial and recurring training for pilots. I can't speculate "why" pilots didn't handle the situation the right way but ba

Handling emergencies is a big part of initial and recurring training for pilots. I can't speculate "why" pilots didn't handle the situation the right way but based on the Air France response to this crash I believe the main cause is too much reliance on automation and lack of actual hand-flying. Pilots found themselves way out of their comfort zone and it impacted their ability to make good decisions. If you are interested to learn about "too much automation" problem there is a very good (and funny) talk given 15+ years ago: http://vimeo.com/64502012 http://vimeo.com/64502012