I am the pilot's partner. I have avoided this thread for as long as I could but the thought of there being misinformation out there is too much to bear. For what it's worth, I am also a professional pilot and saw the TAF and radar that morning.
There were passing SPECIs, but the TAF itself was something along the lines of broken at 2000' and 10km vis with the usual tempos. Whether a SPECI was passed on to him during the flight, I don't know. VHF coverage at lower levels isn't great at LHR.
He had return fuel for Cairns plus tempos plus more. He was never one to skimp on fuel. I have the planning figures at home.
He only made TWO approaches in total. The second approach is where something went wrong. I have his OzRunways details and have seen the track log.
All we know is that he was in a Titan, hand-flying in sh*t visibility, potential turbulence or downdrafts, with no GPWS and no ADSB coverage (no chance for a low altitude alert like you might receive from ATC in the States) and limited ability to appreciate an increase in sink rate given the over-water approach. He certainly would've been doing his damnedest to get everyone in safely.
He was also very experienced and had at least 5 wet seasons under his belt, between the Territory and FNQ. Most of his clients were regulars and many have reached out to tell us how safe they felt and how much they enjoyed his company.
I know this is a professional forum, not one for emotional reminiscing. I understand questions and speculation. I have my own regarding weather station readings from the time of the approach, whether the AWIS was functioning and whether the GPS sequenced correctly. That said, given that this was a GA accident at Lockhart River, not an A380 at Heathrow I know there were be very limited hard data.
We used to pore over ATSB reports together and it was always the light aircraft accidents that struck us. There is no CVR, no FDR, and usually no witnesses. What you're left with is your legacy - and his was one of being thoroughly professional - and hopefully the kindness of those of us who have flown these sorts of aircraft, in this sort of weather and understand how thin the line can sometimes be between life and death.
Always in my heart SW.