Wait a minute. This pilot flew only 373 hours in seventeen years? That’s 22 hours per year, less than an oil change interval. There’s no way he was instrument proficient at that pace.
I’m all for redundancy, but it is difficult to match the redundancy of two separate systems (electric and vacuum). Just putting in multiple electric/electronic devices doesn’t cut it. You’d need two separate continuous power sources (two alternators/generators) and two batteries, and two electrical buses. By the time you do all that, you have exceeded both the weight and cost of a vacuum system.
In my experience, vacuum pumps last about a thousand hours. Yes, they can fail earlier and the interval with dry pumps can be unpredictable. I am in favor of having an electric gyro onboard. My turn coordinator is electric and it is more than adequate for me to keep the wings level. The altimeter and vertical speed are adequate for me to keep the nose level.
I’m all for redundancy, but you can only truly buy safety at the store that sells pilot training. This pilot, at this low usage rate … I don’t see the vacuum pump as the critical detail in the story. Equipment doesn’t make you safe. Equipment gives you capability. Pilot training makes you safe with whatever equipment you have. The more capability your plane has, the more pilot training (both initial and recurrent) a pilot needs to stay safe in that environment.