'Divers will generally try to get out if there is a problem and they have 1000 feet. As said above, this might not be possible with only one wing. They also generally have little respect for the aircraft - the ride up is an embuggerance.
Like others have already said, these aircraft are often old and are pushed to the limits - I don't know about the 'beyond' VNE bit but certainly 'at' - and I am surprised this sort of thing doesn't happen more often.