DB,
Bob, I hope you can now see the relevance of the VFR limits/requirements!
Having a bit of experience messing about in foul weather over the water and around large rocky ground, I also understand that "VFR Limits/Requirements (Rules)" have relevance but are not etched in Stone. They certainly have the weight of Gold in Tribunals reviewing a Pilot's decisions and actions.
The bottom-line for me is to remember that it is easy to remind others of the Rules after the fact and sometimes ignore the reality of life that occurs when it comes to the practical application of those very Rules by Pilots.
With the risk of Icing in Cloud and yet another of one of the "Rules" runs foul of reality.
The CVR would not have prevented this Accident but it would surely have aided in the determination of the actual cause of the Tragedy. That in itself is very important as it might lead to the prevention of another event of the same.
I have been harping about poor Decision Making lately.
As in almost every aircraft accident, we see poor Decision Making playing a role.
Sadly, we tend to limit our application of blame to just the Crew as they commonly are not around to defend themselves. If the Crew erred in this tragedy, they paid a price for it. Those that put them into the situation seemed to have escaped.
How does One address the fact the Aircraft was in service without a proper Airworthiness Release? If Senior RAF Officers lied under Oath, why were they not prosecuted?
If the Aircraft did not have a proper Release to Fly and the Senior Officers knew it beforehand then why were they not held accountable?
Bad Decisions, even if it was only to remain silent when someone in the chain of command should have stood up and refused to allow that aircraft to be flown operationally, should bear liability and should have been addressed.