@ampan - See the interview with Vette in Impact Erebus Part 7 - he did come back to ANZ, but not to the same position he vacated.
@prospector - right where it says "VHF contact" for starters. If the controllers saw it there they should have warned them. Your whole attitude to this case is like one of those teachers who say things like "I suppose if Wilson told you to jump off a cliff and Simpson said it was safe you'd do it yourself? You broke the rules so it's your fault."
Except in this case Wilson was the company-appointed briefing pilot who told them that the rule could be broken and Simpson was the pilot who attended the same briefing and did in fact come home safely. The crew had every right to trust that they would be too if they followed instructions which - as I said - they did *to the letter*.