OK.. for a start I admit to being one of the biggest critics of these low cost operations and the level of experience of the crews sends shivers through me....
I'm one of the many who have no doubt looked at the operation and thought.. for that money you won't get me out of bed in the morning never mind taking a $16 million a/c and fifty people up into storms/icing on multiple leg days flying people who think flying anywhere in the country should rival the costs of greyhound busses.
Having said that... let's keep it in proportion... hundreds of Pinnacle/Colgan pilots fly hundreds of schedules every day and don't come to grief. The US, unlike Europe experiences severe weather at all times of the year....
This accident was fortunately, a rare event and that is testimony to the effort put in by these people.
Many factors played a part but probably had the crew grown up in a more strict environment of cockpit discipline it would not have happened. In the airlines that I worked for chatting away while involved in an approach or at any time other than cruise would not only be frowned upon it would likely lead to tea and buscuits with the fleet chief pilot.
Most of these crews are reasonably talented as far as handling of a/c goes but that alone does not make a safe pilot.