An event such as you've recalled illustrates very well the value of having on-the-ball pilots in a cockpit.
Pilots need to be well trained and have flight experience thus most airlines require a senior pilot on each flight. There's an old saying that goes: "The first person at the crash site is always the pilot.". I think some pilots have forgot about this after some news stories about being drunk, drugged, etc. In this case, it's probably more like experience. Even a senior pilot would not have much flight time in these planes.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
