To begin, my respects to the pilot, whose intentions were apparently based in kindness, and bereavement. Regards, also, to the families, and the memory of those who perished.
I peered back through my log books from the late '70s/early '80s. My best calculation shows that I had 781 hours in an MU-2J, and all in the same aircraft. Most of my hours prior to taking on the task of piloting the Mitsubishi, were spent in a PA-23 Aztec. The MU-2J's owner required that I complete training at FSI, and also acquire my ATP. Even with the amount of training which I took part in, the learning curve of turboprop versus conventional piston was not easy to overcome.
The first lesson, drilled into my thick skull by FSI, was "don't be afraid of landing (a wee bit) on the hot side", as most of the problems encountered with the aircraft by that point in time were landing-related. The MU-2 which I became accustomed to flying was an aircraft which required your constant attention to every detail; with that said, the routine of maintaining situational awareness, and piloting the aircraft left time for little else. They did not like weather, despised even minor icing conditions, and seemed to me to have the tendency to "pitch up" during the initial phase of landing, especially when encountering a decent headwind.
While the MU-2 may not be the most friendly aircraft to pilot, it is far from being the disastrous bucket of bolts portrayed by many, especially via the internet. Without having the benefit of a CVR/FDR system, I fear the true cause of the crash will never be known. I did have close calls, some of which I blamed myself for, others were due to the idiosyncrasies of the aircraft.