Hi KBG, missed you at the partee this year! I still have my ticket and since I had the Lens Implants I could (perhaps) still pass the phys. It has been almost 20 years since I was at the stick. I'm sure after a couple hours with an instructor I could again (perhaps) make a simple takeoff and landing in good weather. In the past (before GPS) We all have taken off VFR and had to file IFR when our destination closed. I did that long before I even held an instrument rating. Was that illegal? You bet, but there was no incident and that made everything OK. Thanks bywarren for reminding me about the new stuff, GPS. I guess I dated myself with the Steerman comment, there were other training aircraft available but not to a poor boy. You took the ride where you found it. In my case, I had to refill the chem tanks, pull the tree limbs out of the controls surfaces and wash the nasty gook off in return for lessons. I flew inverted, did loops long before I could drive a car (we didn't have one). Now back to the original question, was the cause of the accident pilot error? From what I have read, yes. Do they have a right to sue? Yes. Will they win big? I doubt it. How long will you be there by?