Well just some random thoughts:
I have not flown the DHC-8-400, but I have thousands of hours in the DHC-8-100s/200s/300s. It’s one of the best turboprop designs ever.
Ice isn’t the big scary monster the media makes it out to be: these aircraft are well equipped to shed ice that does stick to the leading edges of the wings. Heating systems on the windshield and propellers retard formation of everything except the heavier stuff. Turning off the autopilot, flying faster than the recommended ice penetration speed, and getting out of it if aircraft performance degrades are all tools the crew can be. The Dash 8 was built by DeHavallind in Canada; production is now handled by Bombardier.
I have not flown at Colgan; I know people that have/do.
The NTSB is, as usual, spitting in the eye of the FAA. They love to harp on crew rest, and crew training. The airlines have heaps of paperwork to prove that they are complying with the standards set forth by the FAA. Airlines, and their lobbyists, resist any increase in regulation of duty times for crew members. Otherwise, they’d have to hire and the already razor thin margins become even smaller.
There are really good pilots and... some not so good pilots at every operation. Colgan’s not exactly the greatest place to work: the pay tends to be very low for a measurable amount of time. Most airlines will run you into the ground on your duty times if they can. Pilots are little more than a cog in the wheel in today’s industry.
The stall warning system in that aircraft is three-fold really: You have angle-of-attack indicators (AOAs) on each wing that constantly measure, in layman’s terms, how close to a stall the aircraft is. The higher the angle of attack, the less margin you have between the aircraft’s speed through the air and it’s stall speed. The second system is the STALL SHAKER. When the AOA reaches a critical point (5 knots or so above stall but it varies) the shaker activates. The appropriate response is to reduce the aircraft’s AOA by (1) adding power, and (2) lowering the nose. The last part of the system is the STICK PUSHER. If #2 doesn’t get anyone’s attention, and the aircraft is on the verge of stalling, the pusher will bring the control column down (forward) in an effort to reduce the aircraft’s angle of attack. The amount of force varies, but it is in the neighborhood of 50 pounds.
That aircraft is relatively heavy; any throttle application won’t instantaneously result in a change in aircraft speed given that they were near max capacity.
You don’t train for full stall recovery the emphasis is on airspeed management and stall recognition/avoidance. For years there has been discussion about “upset” training for airline pilots (ie dealing with situations where you find yourself in an unusual attitude [UPSIDE DOWN]), but nothing formal has ever been implemented.
I’m sorry all these people died. You’ve got to pay attention all the time in this business, and even then sometimes you don’t come home.