It would appear that there are 'believers' on both sides of the argument.
There is a faction that believes that Collins is completely without responsibility and they box that corner hard. In fact, Holmes's sorry book had an open letter to politicians asking for an acknowledgment that the crew were without blame.
The cause of an accident is always a product of many factors & if all of these factors are not explored, understood & addressed, the risk of a repeat accident is high.
Very true. And to say that the crew bore no responsibility for the outcome of the flight is to miss the opportunity to prevent history repeating.
Have we learned though?
The Erebus flight was below the legal altitude for the operation the were performing.
The Perpignan flight was below the legal altitude for the manoeuvres they were conducting.
The ANZAC day Iroquois was below the legal altitude for the operations the were conducting.
Imagine if all three Captains had refused to break the law.
By saying that I am not knocking the individuals because as you rightly pointed out there are many influences within the company etc that play their part....but there is reason for the all encompassing authority given to the pilot in command.
Good reason.