hihover wrote: " A VFR flight is a VFR flight. VFR with an unplanned IMC excursion is inexcusable, the flight should have been terminated way before that point - this is what we should be emphasising - IMO."
And until there is proof of a technical failure - and I sincerely doubt that there was - the underlined statement is 100% correct. There is no interpretation required here, even a complete numpty on weather interpretation/assessment can be expected to determine existing conditions reasonably accurately in terms of horizontal visibility and cloud base, and be able to do so fairly accurately.
In a number of incidents I suspect that there has been insufficient planning prior to flight. Known circumstances in this case indicate to me that any planning that might have taken place prior to flight was limited and insufficient even at a basic level.
It is a common mistake to assume that following the M6 north from the Garstang area, will lead to a sometimes passable gap in bad weather. It points to the right direction but inevitably leads you higher and higher. The bad weather route is some distance away to the east.
What we apparently have here is a complete and utter lack of Captaincy and an utter disregard for established protocols and procedures. The aircraft should have been landed well before as stated instead of pressonitis taking control.
JMO
Best Wishes