GlobalNav:
Actually, if I am not mistaken, the PAPI is advisory, not path guidance and certainly not all the way to touchdown. A few feet of TCH doesn't change the angle, and in the case of the accident, the crew blew right through the PAPI centerline (2 white 2 red) and even 4 red with nary a blink. So, in any case its not a contributing factor for the CFIT a mile out. IMHO
In this case, use of the PAPI was mandated by the regulatory note on the approach chart. Without having the PAPI in view descent from MDA was illegal at night. This seems to have been lost on the NTSB.