"THE CREW WERE NOT WHERE THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE"
Since the crew are sadly no longer around to defend themselves, you're implication that you 'KNOW' what the crew were thinking is rather distasteful. If I may say, it is characteristic of the arrogant approach of a now discredited few.
For the record, neither you, nor I, nor anyone this side of the Pearly Gates 'KNOW' ANYTHING about the thought processes occuring in the cockpit of ZD576! (spiritualists excluded!)
Infact, we 'KNOW' virtually nothing of what was occuring at all!
You're suggestion that they could have contemplated a cruise climb, 'planning' to clear high ground by around 500', whilst 'APPARENTLY' in cloud, is bizarre.
Are you suggesting you would have considered such a course of action?
This 'off track', 'misplotting' garbage is (in my opinion) a complete red herring.