This accident bears a lot of similarities with the much discussed AW139 G-LBAL helicopter crash in Gillingham, Norfolk
https://www.pprune.org/showthread.php?p=9151430. Both pilots apparently uncomfortable with IMC flying and consistently avoiding night shifts or related training, thereby foregoing the opportunity to get better at it, in the occurrence flight refuse to apply basic night/IMC flying procedures:
Wings level, positive climb, airspeed.
While the criticism concerning the lack of oversight by the operator over the pilots, or even by Transport Canada over the operator (as a post from oleary earlier today here seem to suggest, which by now seem to have been withdrawn) may be valid, the fact remains that in both accidents two pax put their trust into two highly experienced and qualified pilots in front of the best flying machinery money can buy.
While for every night VFR departure one must be prepared to inadvertently enter IMC, here the pilots
knew that beyond the airport lights they would enter pitch black darkness. In neither case did the pilots even contemplate the challenges ahead before departure, or follow (above) basic, simple procedures that would have averted a steep yet unnoticed decent, ending with hitting the ground. Note that the aircraft, in both accidents, didn't fly into an unexpected mountain or cable, but after an initial climb descended back down to field elevation where they crashed and burned.