It is my belief that, had he been flying a club aircraft, he would have been more likely to stay in contact with, and receive advice from, more experienced pilots who if nothing else would have had an interest in the integrity of the airframe (go on, call me a cynic
). As a matter of fact, in my aeroclub we have a number of private pilots who own their own planes but they still collaborate with the club--they participate in club activities, fly with other pilots, etc. I can't see these guys making such a basic, and tragic, handling mistake.
Bottom line, stay in touch, fly with, and listen to the more experienced pilots. Perhaps you will find someone you like and take him flying with you in exchange for his experience (plus in a spamcan you will often need two pilots anyhow to negotiate the most complex airspace, etc.)
Excellent point and the point I made about the Caenarfon accident--authorisation, which should contain an element of advice from a responsible experienced pilot