I don't think age was a factor at all, the Pelair Westwind 1 & 2's are some of, if not the highest time Westwinds in the world.
There have been a few incidents and failures directly related to age in the past few yrs. 1 was a roof outer skin panel blowing out and causing a rapid decompression, I think that was due to age and corrosion/stress fractures from memory.