Originally Posted by ptarmigan

Hi. I mostly agree with all you wrote. My one exception is that these pilots had more experience and were more competent than what many have been led to believe. Check out the book, I get into those details quite a bit and several other factors that have not be discussed, really, anywhere. It is a more insidious situation than many would realize. There is another aspect as well.

I was talking with another safety professional a couple of days ago and he made a really good observation regarding the NWA 6231 accident. If you were to ask a pilot what to expect if their pitot gets clogged they can likely answer correctly, for the most part. However, if you instead say "you are flying and notice that your airspeed is increasing. Also, your flight controls are getting a lot heavier. What would you make of this situation?" Seriously, try asking fellow pilots this question.