Russian Plane crash

[ChicagoBlue]

Just a layman, but Is it too late to switch autopilot back on to check in that situation?

If it is programmed correctly, and all other things being OK, no problem. That would include the need for the autothrottles to be on to have the aircraft fly itself.

The problem in this particular instance is that if the aircraft is not trimmed correctly and basically in normal, stable flight, it will not engage, because it can’t/won’t fight the control forces on it....which, in this crash, would mean it would NOT have taken, nor could it have sorted the problem in the allotted time given the nose down attitude.

Had they engaged the autopilot and autothrottles on the initial go around, they would have been fine, but once the illusion took over, they were holding control forces, so the autopilot won’t engage, even if the autothrottles will.