Absolutely, Fuji - you beat me to it. IMC or IR, there is no difference in this particular case. If the weather at the time was indeed low cloud bases with low freezing levels and high terrain with very few instrument approaches (and I have no idea if it was or not, but that's what DFC says), then it is the limitations of the aircraft which suggest that staying VMC is the best option, regardless of pilot qualifications.
FFF
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