I agree you are on the right track Gullibell. It is an unfortunate fact that flying in Nigeria, getting regular Trim lights and issues is just another day at the office. With experience it is just an annoyance. The daily CVR/FDR test is done but if one called it off every time a light stayed on one would be shown the door. Try a reset post-flight or MEL it...
I have also seen crews that look at the possibility of conducting even a VMC trip with degraded automation with extreme trepidation. This isn't entirely their fault. The sim sessions conducted by Bristow Nigeria are extremely limited and the time has to be carefully weighed. Understanding the automation first, then hands and feet skills if you can.
Copterline: You speak a lot about what could not possibly happen, what must be happening because it is in the European regs, etc. Clearly, you have not worked in the environment where these accidents happened. The recent rapid nationalization has happened to maintenance as well. Good intentions are great but it takes time and exposure for engineers, just like pilots, to get really good at the job. I absolutely do not believe anyone made a deliberate error, or cut a corner, but the system is desperate to move people up in the chain with a bare minimum of experience. I've been there (in Nigeria and an apprentice elsewhere) and I can't believe the pace of staff change that is happening.
Confirmation bias is what I think is happening. I understand you have an issue with the 76 but I have seen it put through a brutal torture test in another incident a few years ago and it stood up incredibly well. We rely on many systems to keep us alive on the job. The people are usually the weak link and will continue to be.
After all this, I'm wishing HC and Crab were back at it on here :-)