VP959. I'm trying to assume you have more than 5 minutes in your logbook, but each time you post that lookout is an infallible way of keeping traffic apart 100% I doubt it more and more.
This was a tragic accident. The fact that the two crews didn't see eachother is going to be a factor obviously (you generally don't fly into things you have seen and positively identified) but that doesn't mean that anyone is at fault.
I was based at CVT for a while and operating into there during the day could be an absolute nightmare. We had TCAS and two crew with their eyes wired outside the cockpit, but the simple fact is that even with a controller telling you where traffic is, TCAS showing you and with you looking hard, you just don't see it.
We generally operated at night, which cut down the problems of Commercial Vs GA, but if we were late back in the mornings, then descending into CVT at 200+kts could be a scary experience. I pitied the poor controllers who were looking after us, they had us under radar control and were just trying to do their best to thread us through the maze of airspace and aircraft. We'd often stay a bit high and slow down as much as we could and if we could go VFR to help the eyeball count under a RAS we'd do it. Not exactly commercially expedient, but neither is smashing into someone.
As for glider pilots keeping great lookouts, why did I have to file an airprox from within controlled airspace on an IFR plan when we flew straight through a gaggle of thermalling gliders 2000ft up into the London CTA? How we didn't collect any I'll never know, it scared the living the daylights out of me at the time.
RIP chaps.
I have a horrid feeling that this may have been an accident waiting to happen in that area, but I know nothing more than what has been reported on the news. I know there has been a move to increase CVT's airspace, accidents like this if proven to be because mixing IFR and transiting VFR traffic, then there is no option really.