Agreed. I think another possibility is that the turbulence dislodged some dangerous goods or that there were undeclared DGs on the flight.
I think a stall is also possible given the shifting winds, but at FL350 there should have been plenty of time to recover.
Stalls are for Horses
The last maneuver we are going to focus on today is aerodynamic stalls.
Lets get one thing clear about stalls in transport category aircraft before we begin: You don’t wait for the airplane to stall. This is not a Cessna, and stalls are extremely dangerous in swept wing jets.
The purpose of this exercise is to teach you to avoid stalling the airplane by showing you the IMMEDIATE actions that you should take upon the first indication of a stall.
What do I mean by the first indication of a stall? Easy: If the airplane begins to buffet as a result of a stall onset (not something you’d see/feel in MSFS….sorry…) or if the airplane gives you any indication that it is approaching a stall such as the stick shaker!
We will focus on the stick shaker for this exercise and you should assume that this is your indication of an impending stall- and is your cue to recover the airplane!
Stall recovery is practiced from a variety of configurations, so I will walk you through a basic stall sequence, and then expect you to try them in each of the configurations described.
The stall sequence works like this:
* Establish level flight at 15000’ MSL.
* Set the configuration for the stall (in this case, 250 knots, flaps up, gear up and wings level)
* Disconnect the auto throttle and set thrust just slightly above idle.
* Use pitch trim to keep the airplane in level flight while you slow toward stalling speed.
* Below 180 knots, do not use any further pitch trim, instead use the yoke to maintain level flight.
At the first indication of a stall (stick shaker!) you should:
* Push the throttles full forward. (If you have the A/T armed, pressing TOGA will help!)
* Adjust your pitch to minimize the loss of altitude. If descending, you should pitch up as much as is required to intermittently activate the stick shaker. Once the aircraft beings to climb, use a stable climb pitch attitude.
* Return to your entry altitude and adjust power to maintain 250 knots.
You do NOT want to “dump the nose” on this airplane like you can do in many light aircraft. If you do so, the airplane will likely commence a descent that could prove catastrophic if you were to stall the airplane without altitude sufficient for recovery!
The proper technique for recovering from a stall in this airplane is to get as much power out of the engines as quickly as you can, while holding pitch stable enough to keep from sinking further until airspeed is sufficient to allow you to climb. Do don’t dump the nose!
This is why your PFD should look like as you commence the stall recovery: