Any accident is the end result of a systemic failure.
Corporate cultures,attitudes and actions can often be the root cause to seemingly unforgivable errors.
No professtional pilot would deliberatley take off on a closed runway. But, if confused as to his location, what factors might have stopped the captain seeking help? Or, indeed, have stopped the FO from interveening? Would the captain have been disciplined if it had become known he had gotten a little lost at night during appalling weather? Would the FO have been reprimanded (either officially or by gaining a "Reputation") if he had voiced concerns?
I once worked for a company which stated at the outset of my employment that they would never insist that their pilots flout regulations. They then went on to outline the "Local" (and illegal) practices they "Prefered" us to use. It soon became apparent that continued employment had a lot to do with complience with this overt pressure. Needless to say I left when I could. But not before occationally doing things of which I'm not proud. And if i'd been involved in an accident? I would have been sacked for "Non complience with SOPs".
It is encumbent upon a company to foster an actual safety culture, not just window dress to satisfy regulatory authorities. And to simply fire the guys who were at the sharp end when the system finally failed smacks of wiping the corporate hands of their ultimate culpability.