Let me make myself clear (er).
It was an aeroplane.
It was flown by pilots. (like me)
Pilots make mistakes.
Sometimes pilots do stupid things (IMHO like these guys....but I'd still buy them a beer)
I too, have done stupid things (in an aeroplane, but maybe these guys would still have bought me a beer
)
But, luckily, I'm still alive!
Now I'm not qualified to say what really happened. period!
However I am an ex Loganair pilot who's been into Campletown a great many times. (but not for a few years).
Used to be the MAC had no DME- might have saved them?
The Mull is oft shrouded in orographic cloud. These guys were in a VFR machine- presumably in VMC.
Their aeroplane was not an IFR aeroplane.
Why not turn back?
(Thats what the PPL accident reports usually say...."the commander elected to continue etc.etc.)
I'm sorry guys but they WERE negligent. They had pax.
They pressed on.
They fu%&ed up.
Not bad pilots in any way-well no worse than all the other live pilots who'll die in accidents in the next year or two.
But **** it up, they did!