The debate is whether the crew were blameless
Accident investigation is not interested in "blame", that's what lawyers do, The underlying interest is why people do what they do. If you want to use the word "blame", there was plenty to be shared from Davis on downward. Renowned aviator and author David Beaty wrote,
it is only recently that very dubious management malpractices are being identified and their contribution to accidents given sufficient weight. For though the pilot’s actions are at the tip of the iceberg of responsibility, many other people have had a hand in it – faceless people in aircraft design and manufacture, in computer technology and software, in maintenance, in flying control, in accounts departments and in the corridors of power. But the pilot is available and identifiable
Would you be happy to ride along with folk who have not received training,
1. On a formation flight with someone who's never done it before
2. On a night IMC hose and drogue aerial refuel sortie with a guy who's never done it before
3. On a flight into a New Guinea high altitude uphill strip who's never done it before
4. On a ILS to minima in IMC with a guy who's never done an ILS previously
5. On a carrier landing with someone who's never seen a carrier before
6. On a sight seeing flight to Antarctica with a guy who's never done it before
It seems that all the above require intensive training, except for 6.
Some anecdotes.
One of my SDOs had been a PBY Catalina pilot in Patrol Squadron Six (VP-6 CG) at Bluie West One (BW-1), that frigid, fog-bound, wind-driven outpost in Greenland responsible for ant-sub patrols, SAR, and other missions in that part of the North Atlantic. Among the many stories this SDO told was a fantastic one of a pilot landing on the Greenland ice cap. It seems this pilot and his PBY crew were flying on instruments in thick clouds and falling snow. As the pilot concentrated on the gauges, he noticed something moving out of the corner of his eye. And when he glanced out the window, there standing in the snow was his crew chief ... waving his arms and giving the “cut engines” signal! They had unintentionally landed on the ice cap! It seems they had flown onto a very gradually rising slope in white-out conditions, and the snow was so soft and featureless they did not even feel it when the “Cat” touched down and slid to a stop.
Many years ago an Air Force PBY flying out of (I believe) Elmendorf AFB in Alaska found itself in a white out in a mountainous area. The pilot was familiar with the various peaks and their respective altitude. Knowing where he was when he entered the whiteout he began to climb with the intention of flying over the mountain range. He was several minutes into the climb when the aircraft lurched. The airspeed dropped to zero and his rate of climb indicated no climb and no dive. His altimeter also stopped indicating an increase in climb. His first thought was his pitot sensing or his static port had frozen over. He turned on the pitot heat with no effect. It seems that the P Boat intersected the rising surface of the mountain at a very slight angular difference and became stuck in the snow
I was at CGAS Savannah aboard Hunter AFB, then home of the 63rd Troop Carrier Wing (Heavy). The 63rd was operating C-124 Globemasters at the time. While one of their planes was operating in Antarctica, and flying in white-out conditions, the observer in the after station noticed the props were starting to kick up snow! Imagine the panic on the flight deck when the observer yelled, PULL UP! ... PULL UP!” on the ICS!