Agreed. The crosswind as reported by the controller moments before the crash was nothing extreme.
My guess is that they mistook the localizer array as the beginning of the runway, due to whiteout conditions. The approach lights for 05 are few and far between, but there are a few lights on the localizer array.
A very unlucky/fatigued pilot might mistake those as runway end lights, a false visual reference.
The actual runway endlights could have been obscured by snowbanks, especially due to a shallow (botched) approach angle.
Last edited by stefan_777; 4th Apr 2015 at 03:08.