Pilot Errors, Not Turbulence, Caused Fatal Upset

The thing to remember about this accident is that there was never anything wrong with the aircraft. The crew screwed this up starting with an incomplete preflight and continued throughout the flight with mistake after mistake. They displayed a significant lack of knowledge of aircraft systems, disregarded company procedures and displayed poor crew communications and coordination. Flying with the A/P on while trying to solve a pitch trim problem was the icing on the cake.