Originally Posted by
aeroengineer
Since ice doesn't normally hang around long post crash that makes the investigation difficult.
That said we all pretty much know what happened with obvious mistakes made on Colgan but I've always wondered what the crew especially the captain thought they were dealing with in that startling few moments. I.E. Tailplane icing?
The CA was utterly exhausted and utterly inept. He wasn't thinking at all.
The FO might just barely possibly have thought there was tailplane icing since she retracted the flaps she had just extended, without being told to do so. That would be a mitigation for tailplane icing, but she was exhausted too. I don't think either of them engaging in phd level thought processes.