Incidents like this one should be analyzed and with the benefit of hind sight....provide a forensic examination of what happened....how it happened...why it happened....and provide Lessons Learned for everyone....the Crew, the Operator, the Client, and every other Pilot and Crew that goes forth doing what we do as Helicopter Pilots.
Otherwise there is no really good outcome to these things.
The Crew are good and decent people....but they as we all are....are Human and thus susceptible to make mistakes as we all do.
I do not look down on them or find them to worthy of being branded for life over this one event....they were trying hard to carry. out their assigned task in marginal weather and approaching darkness.
They made some decisions that I bet you if there was a way to re-wind the Tape and have a Re-Do....they would do things differently.....but that is not real life.
At least they lived to tell the tale....unllike so many others that wound up in a smoking pile of wreckage.
What is interesting to me would be hearing from them about how upon reflection they would do the flight again if they could.
We should learn from our mistakes not be crucified for them.....as long as we make them while trying to do it right.
Sometimes even the most experienced Pilot or Crew is set up for failure by a training deficiency, SOP, or Rule which only comes to light when something like this happens.