Jon Woellhaf writes:

Wouldn't pitch and power have arrested the descent faster than power alone?

Pitch alone would have translated forward momentum into a climb, which
would have increased altitude but would have also slowed the aircraft
significantly. Perhaps the pilot was too close to stall for that.

I have also read that pilots approach the deck with full throttle so
that they can go around if the arresting hook fails to catch a cable
on the deck.

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