There are plenty of accidents where poor prioritization of tasks and placing talking on the radio above flying the aircraft are contributing factors, but I am not sure this is one of them.
Low altitude,
in IMC, with a sick engine, ATC can be a huge resource. From the audio tape he started by using ATC to point him at the nearest airport, at what appeared to be the first sign of trouble. That airport was
behind him so any delay in talking to ATC would have put him farther away.
When the engine failed he said exactly the right thing " The engine just failed, I am IMC and I need help". ATC then pointed him at a nearby highway, which was likely the best option. This was IMO an entirely appropriate use of available resources to increase the odds of a successful outcome.
Obviously when he broke out of the clouds he was not able to maneuver to a landable area with tragic results.
To imply that this was a tragedy only because the pilot had the aviate, navigate,communicate thing backwards and then failed to properly handle the airplane is IMO a gross over simplification of how a desperately diffcult situation was handled
Too bad he was not a Cirrus. This is the poster child accident for demonstrating the value of an airframe parachute system.
If you really want an example of talking on the radio, instead of flying the aircraft, then I suggest you look at the Bournemouth Tomahawk EFATO crash about 4 years ago
The engine failed on takeoff at about 300 feet. The nose was never lowered and the aircraft stalled and spun in. It appears the only action the pilot took in response to the engine failing was to make a mayday call on the radio. Now
That is getting the priorities wrong
Finally I remember reading about a successful PA 28 forced landing in the accident section of Pilot magazine. The aircraft lost power at relatively low altitude when returning to the airport. The pilot executed a forced approach into the only open area, a small field with poor approaches. No one was hurt although the aircraft was wrecked. The AAIB reported that the pilot attributed the success of his forced approach to the fact that he regularly practiced forced approaches.
The cause of the engine failure ? Carb icing
, one of the most preventable causes of engine failure there is
Seems like if he spent a bit more time practicing how to manage the engine instead of practicing forced approaches, there would be one less wrecked PA 28 in the UK.....