On 10 Feb 2007 17:45:58 -0800, "Jay Honeck" wrote:

Was there a covering of snow where they crashed? Was it a bright sunny day?

Yep.

I suspect the OP is suggesting depth perception issues... smooth white covering,
little contrast, bright sun to reduce the irises and make it even tougher to
make out detail to judge height with.

I flew a month ago on a sunny day right after a snowfall...and they don't plow
the GA runways in this neck o' the woods. Had about 4" on the ground, and the
tracks from my own takeoff were the only feature I could lock on to. If I'd had
unbroken snow and an unfamiliar field, it would have been interesting.

(And since the runway had been indistinguishable from the grass due to the even
coat of snow, the tracks from the takeoff wiggled a bit....)

The accident airplane had been based at my field, I'd seen it several times.
Its hangar was right down the row from that of a friend of mine.

Ron Wanttaja