I've just read the posts subsequent to mine. I have no agenda to debate a point that is somewhat outside my area of experience. It seems to me that this exercise has been about semantics with regards a charge of "gross negligence" against the crew, which is just a factor of MOD rules and nothing else. Aircraft crash for one of the following reasons, technical fault (be it design or equipment failure), extreme weather events (eg excessive turb/windshear) or human error (be it pilot or anyone else involved). If the first 2 are discounted then it has to be the third. Whether or not this is classified as "gross negligence" or merely a very unfortunate "mistake" seems a little bit fascile to me considering people lost their lives.