Quote:I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty stupid to just continue your flight when you hear an alarm...
The alarm that went off meant "improper takeoff configuration" to them. Neither of them was aware of the secondary meaning. In planes, things malfunction. They probably assumed the alarm was faulty and pulled the fuse (just for that alarm). When more alarms went off, they DID try to do something (that's why the pilot was out of the cockpit). After the second series of alarms, and shortly after the pilot left the cockit, it would appear they both passed out.
Plus, you don't immediately land the plane every time a bell goes off. It has to be some serious ****.
Of course, this is what is most likely, not necissarily what happened.
Doug, I buy this article's set of circumstances because it was far, far too weird of an accident for there to have not been a set of circumstances such as those described by the article.
Who's ever heard of (non-explosive) decompression bringing down a plane?
What the hell was the pilot doing out of the cockpit?
Why didn't they just descend?
For now, this article seems to best answer these questions.