I was at Hook the year before the blow up. It was ugly in the third floor hallway outside the admins at night. We would not open our door to the hallway or let females exit to the hallway...too dangerous.
The halls were so jammed back that you couldn't get anywhere and I stopped venturing into them years prior after getting a plastic beer cup jammed into my back by a reveler. It was far easier navigating out on the lanai part of the pool deck and hit admins when you needed a refill. What most people (especially those who never went) don't realize is Tailhook itself is a very professional event with industry and govt displays (you could and still can talk to your detailer) and presentations far from the admins that were not an official part of Tailhook itself, but a tradition of various units. That aspect was like a college Fraternity Row with all sorts of hi-jinks going on and "professionals" passing through the corridors who willingly sort attention of up close and personal kind. Coughlin was warned not to pass through the so-called "Gauntlet" area where tradition was to "zap" the females with squadron stickers (zappers). She thought she could take care of herself. Not to say the folks in hallway had an excuse, but the recipe for disaster was set at that point. Investigators then rolled in trying to solicite complaints from other attendees. If you read the report, you can see instances where investigators claimed abuse occured and in notes it clearly states that alleged victim does not agree with assessment. I met one of them and she was adamant that nothing happened that wouldn't have in a crowded bar and that she'd attend again.