YOP - very unlikely. There seems to have been a presumption by many that the whole of the south east of the UK was subject to fog or low cloud at the time of the accident, and that a major airport ILS let down was the only safe option available to PB. This is wrong. Some of the southeast - within 30 miles of London - had no fog at all with clear blue skys. G-CRST had enough fuel to fly over 200 miles. I do not believe PB would have had any major concerns as to how he was going to be able to safely land somewhere. His predicament did not constitute an emergency.
Particularly with fog, it is very easy to assume the few METARS that are available before 09.00 represent the widespread picture. It can be better - or indeed worse - within a short distance, with hill tops often being clear too.
Last edited by rotorspeed; 26th Jan 2013 at 18:08.