Sandblaster - I wasn't trying to be derogatory about the 'elderly' but I know as I get close to 60, that I am not as sharp as I was at 30, 40 or 50 - age takes its toll physically and mentally no matter how well you look after yourself.
I know that I would have been tired at midnight having been up for most of the day - he may well have had a nap to stave off the fatigue (I use those regularly) and was completely 100% and ready to when he got airborne - fatigue and age might not have been a factor in this tragedy but they can't be discounted out of hand just because he was a fine chap with an up to date physical.
I was more concerned by the nature of his departure - low level over trees going from light to dark - doesn't sound like someone at the top of their game.
Same age here.
How do you draw a line? You can't make a simple decision that is going to be correct for all pilots. You just have to make one based on the odds. If he wants to fly at his age let him. If he wants to fly others professionally, I wonder about that. There is a reason the armed forces like their recruits young and not 76.