HN39 wrote:-
.... consider also that according to Tim Vasquez' analysis, freezing level was at 16350 ft, and cloud base 2370 ft, so at some point they would have had airspeed back and become visual, even though it was dark night but moon-lit.
The moon at 2009-06-01 0212z was bearing 268.7°T with a true altitude of 8.7° and the phase was 60.5% of full. Considering the ITCZ activity was spread along an East/West axis, the chances (imo) of the moon placing any light on the situation would be extremely remote.
Weather wise, the BBC2 scenario of "supercooled rain" may well have been the prime cause of extremely rapid freezing of the pitots, and other surfaces may have accumulated significant amounts of wet ice that then stuck to the -45°C surfaces. The possibility of a warm [wet] cell punching through, condensing and falling back through undercutting cooler air can not be ruled out.
Regards
mm43