And I struggle to see that a NVMC rated pilot with a 1.5 hour check flight with an instructor only a month before would lose control after a handful of minutes in poor visibility before published last light.
I do. Hence why ATSB and CASA are now focusing heavily on the "dark night" issues. Where was the NVFR checkride, a city orbit? (Apologies if that was in the report and I missed it)