Been reading this thread with interest, but, not being even remotely familiar with Blackpool, have so far not felt it right to post.
However, this is getting a bit galling, where some posters here clamour for some sort of legal responsibility of the dispatcher (CFI, ops desk, whatever you wish to call it).
Sorry guys - which part of Pilot In Command don't you understand
Not wanting to condone this CFIs behaviour (he has to live with his conscience), but this whole scenario is, to my mind, utter madness.
If someone who is out of currency, has no IR, even attempts to start a P28-140 with 4 adults to launch into a 200ft overcast, he/she is either mad or not fit to hold a pilot's license. Del mortuis nihil nisi bene, I know, but this simply beggars belief. The buck stops somewhere - and this somewhere is called PIC.
I'm sure he was under all sort of pressure/persuasion/whatever. But would you jump off a tall building just because someone told you it was safe? Probably not, because you know about gravity. One could come up with many more analogies.....
A sad loss of life, for sure, but I'm not so convinced there's much to learn here - the blatant disregard for safety and common sense by all involved is simply off the scale.
It is ultimately the PIC who has to say STOP if a situation like this develops. Unfortunately he didn't.
RIP