This thread has raised some very valid points - both heated, and coldly considered. Bottom line is that half the posts are commisserating on the loss of two well-known and well-liked pilots, and the other half are wondering what happened and why.
What strikes me most is that no matter the speculation now, there is a substantial chance that most pilots flying around in Africa will never hear the outcome of any official investigation and enquiry into the circumstances and causes of the accident, and even less will take any notice of it. Most accidents that I can recall in recent years were rumours/bar room chat/pprune threads/chat frequency discussions etc. But little if anything of use officially. There's also an overwhelming attitude of invicibility on this continent ("it can't happen to me"), and 'shrug and carry on' regardless. It seems we think we're heroes, invincible and FAR superior to those that have gone before us - and because of it, we (and I use that in the broadest possible implication) keep on making the same, stupid, pointless, tragic errors.
How many times have planes flown CFIT in IMC in this region? Why do we keep on ploughing into terrain in poor conditions, operating into marginal airports, using airports/airstrips with flawed, home-made approaches? Why does familiarity ("yeah, I've been there before - no problem") make us so damn complacent? Every single one of us is human, and yes, we're going to bleed or die if we get it wrong.
It seems TCAS hasn't really improved things. Has there been a dip in statistics since glass cockpits arrived? Did hills suddenly spring up somewhere? When did storms become hazardous? Did GPS solve all the unnecessary/necessary CFITs? No?- then guys, we haven't learned a
thing yet. And until we do, someone, somewhere, is going to repeat the mistakes all over again, and again. We need to get smart and quickly.
Do not allow this latest sad accident be a lesson unlearned.