Not only did he break the rules written to safeguard his passengers, he showed poor airmanship
But he had received (1) sufficient training for overflight and (2) explicit instructions about descent below MSA, which he disobeyed without sufficient knowledge, cause or care.
Give it a rest Ornis. There was plenty of "blame" to be laid at many a door, the long running past thread holds all the arguments without another impugning an individual who is no longer here to defend himself. And he had not received all the CAA mandated training.