Chinook
Brian. No, we do not know and we shall never know what the crew could see from the cockpit, but there are only two possibilities; one, they could see ahead to the coast and the cloud-covered hills, in which case it would have been prudent airmanship to turn away; or, two, they could not see clearly ahead, in which case it would have been prudent airmanship to have turned away.
Please say which version of their forward vision you prefer. Regards. JP