If reported time correct, accident happened one minute before sea level sunrise. With airport slightly higher, the approach would have involved transitioning between sunlit and shaded airspace. Visibility reports suggest dusty/hazy conditions rather than fog (it is the middle of the sandstorm season), with nighttime visibility 6000-5000m, dropping to 2000m (and staying there) after sunrise. Sunlit dust may produce whiteout conditions, even if reported ground visibility may have been 5000m, the sunlit part of the approach would have been flown virtually blind, at that time these conditions would have persisted almost till touchdown.
Several past TIP approach CFIT events skip to mind.
Last edited by andrasz; 12th May 2010 at 09:08.