If you can tell me where I err when I state the essence of visual flight is seeing where you are and something where you are going
Ornis, compressor stall has answered with his
Visibility by definition (check ICAO or your CARs) is predicated on being able to see and identify a prominent object by day
To give an example of what we used to encounter in the maritime enviroment from time to time.
Conditions
1. High pressure centred over the area
2. No wind
3. Inversion
4. Bushfires that had been burning for some days.
The smoke would be trapped under the inversion creating a "greyout". Exactly the same as "whiteout", the only difference being the colour. No matter where you looked, up, down, sideways it was the same damn colour, and you had no idea what the actual visibily was until you came across one of
compressor stalls prominent objects. In our case that might be an oil rig, work boat, or on making land fall when returning home. Except by reference to the altimeter you had absolutely no idea of height. So you can see how you might be set up for a CFIT, or into water in this case. At all times though you had absolutely legal VMC, though depending on the smoke density, visibility might range from the bare minimum, to far in excess.
Helo pilots flying offshore in the Gulf face the same issues brought about by haze.
As
compressor stall has said, VFR flight can throw up its own unique hazards depending on your particular area and the nature of your operations.
I liked your succinct
Captain Collins made choices and he was wrong. Pilot error. In the context of a dysfunctional operation? Absolutely. Disgraceful. Shocking. Inexcusable.
I don't care to apportion blame. I don't need to divide the pie. It's all unsavoury, every piece.
On the money, particularly the last sentence.
As for "blame", it has no place in a safety orientated organision, or when discussing issues of safety. Thats for lawyers and ambulance chasers. An organisation that has a blame culture merely buries the errors made in denial. Who's going to report safety issues if they know a bullet is the reward.