Homsap,
John Farley didn't say that AH was not negligent. He just offered a possible explanation which to me, having no FJ experience, seems the most plausible I have read on here.
Of course AH knew he was flying a Hunter. But sometimes we get distracted and 'revert to type' and am sure we can all think of many situations where that has occurred, albeit with little consequence to ourselves or others.