To try to introduce some balance to this thread. The pilots mostly think the pilots did an amazing job and cannot be blamed for anything, if they missed the walkaround it's because it's too hard to lie down, god forbid. (by the way ask the average coach driver about getting mucky on the job). And you don't need to lie down as I'm sure all the pilots here know but it's inconvenient for them not to correct. It's on the SOP, if maintenance was being done on walkaround the interim report would mention it. Please don't another pilot excuse them because it's not their job. I imagine if a pilot of an airline named zion (i can think of 2) said that what the reaction would be.
On the over London issue. I think most rational people assume that a pilot, amongst all his decisions, considers the impact on people on the ground. Especially in planes/loadings where there could be more deaths on ground than on board. Until this incident I've never seen pilots before say people on the ground bear no consideration in their decision making. The arrogance displayed on this thread is breathtaking, some pilots really do take their 'commander had the right' far too literally and seem to think you can break any law in the land and if you save 3 people and kill 500 that's fine.
Sensible pilots I've heard value a life on the ground as much as one in their plane. And in situations where going to another airport doesn't extend risk to the aircraft, but does reduce risk to the ground, that is what they do. It terrifies me how much many current pilots think that a BA pilot wouldn't know that going to Stansted involves less time traveling over a population centre. It's open countryside there. Or that it would be 'challenging'. I'm not flying BA anymore after all these proclamations of how hard they find diverting to a world class airport in their own city bounds.
Sorry, I know this is a pilots club and I'll be shot down. Hell if BALPA hadn't immediately fingered the engineers I might not have felt the need to (I'm not a BA engineer, just a bystander fairly shocked at the closed ranks). Anyway I hope the more self aware BA pilots are taking on board the need for better checks, less complacency, engineering too, and remembering the walk about is not just for exercise.