Another possibility could be distraction ("VIP in cockpit").
I agree - while interpreting Dolya's wonderful photographic journal, clearly it was a lively and exciting environment, but also for those who do this work as a profession, there is recognized the high potential for distraction from the primary task of planning the flight, tending to disciplined operations and flying the airplane. In such an atmosphere, cockpit visitors, especially those which are perceived to have "high importance", one's mind may not be fully focussed "forward", and the pressure to "demonstrate" rather than merely just fly the airplane, is, in all likelihood, higher.
In combination with the weather, ("
METARs suggest that weather conditions were deteriorating when the accident occured. Around sunset (~4 hours later), rain was reported in the area."), this could be seen as a high-risk operation, the perception of which may have been over-shadowed by the excitement and fun-atmosphere of the ongoing series of flights and the meetings with high-level officials.