As the saying goes, "there but for fortune............" I have been through that weather and its not something I like to fly in for sure. The gulf has had its share of bad times this year for "GOMERS" heres hoping for no more.
One thing you will all notice is that the companies who hire in that area almost always require an Instrument Rating to do VFR work. My thoughts have always been that it makes Pilots a little more confident to push VFR beyond the "No Go" point in which the saying that "its not nice to mess with mother nature" comes into play. Im not saying that this was the case as the cause is not yet known.
Sad to lose another crew.........