with a claim that they the pilot was VMC when he hit the mountain
Morons don't come any bigger than you
ampan. Whiteout is no different to blackout, just the reverse of the phenomena. Did you look at the Aero Commander video flying into the side of a mountain I posted earlier? It was night VMC, but he couldn't see the mountain, and thus flew into it. Collins was faced with the exact same predicament, except in his case it was whiteout.
Have a read up on requirements for night VMC to get a feeling for what should have been in place for the Antarctic VMC flights.
If you want some one to blame, it was the prat who dreamt up the idea of scenic flights in VMC below the MSA.