An "official" in WA has said in the media "it appears they hit a ridge line before crashing and it is a testament to the pilots skills that they were able to survive this."
Sorry, but am I callous to suggest, despite the nature of the operation, hitting a ridge line is not indicative of pilot skill, and anything after that hit just happened. They were there for the ride.
It can be too early to lay blame just after an accident, same can be said for apportioning praise to the crashers.