The article that talked about the pilot apologizing to the wife and kids - I didn't see any mention of what he apologized for. It also said he left without his clothes being ironed. To me, that sounds more like "over slept, running late, need to skip breakfast/morning chores" than anything nefarious. However, he might have been somewhat off his game if he'd had a late night or hadn't slept well, which could compound a mechanical or other issue.