Going down to MDA for a look is safe -- going below is deadly
The round and round maundering about what ATC should and should not have done is crushingly tedious and irrelevant to any instrument trained pilot.
I will try to explain an instrument pilot's view of this accident to those unfamiliar with the discipline of instrument flying.
During a pilot's instrument training, he makes repetitive approaches under the hood with an instructor to MDA and goes around to do the next one; so, yes, pilots during their instrument training do many times more missed approaches than approaches to landing, which typically are only the last approach of the training session.
Pilots do not crash on practise instrument approaches during their training as the instructor makes it perfectly clear to never go below MDA when not visual.
The only thing you need from ATC to safely fly a non-precision approach is the altimeter setting.
You go down to the MDA and, if not visual, go around.
If you go below the MDA not visual, you are gambling you won't hit an obstacle before your wheels hit the runway.
Lots of pilots take the gamble; many get away with it (at least for a time) -- and a bunch don't.