but I'm afraid that it's hard to mitigate why this guy was near a commercial airliner when his mind is in such a state that he was unable to execute a MAP, nor correct his errors in a timely manner.
That is the real crux of the matter. This was a manoeuvre he had been shown, had practiced and could do. This time he didn't, not because he couldn't but because his mind, like yours and mine, has a limited capacity. His was filled with extraneous material generated by his social circumstances caused by company decisions.