Erebus disaster

Shortly before 8.30 a.m. on 28 November 1979, Air New Zealand Flight TE901 left Auckland Airport for an 11-hour return flight to Antarctica. These sightseeing flights had been operating since February 1977 and were flown by DC-10-30 airliners, whose great range and ‘unrivalled area navigation system’ made this day trip possible. On board Flight 901 were 237 passengers and 20 crew.

At 12.30 p.m. TE901 was about 70 kilometres from McMurdo Station. The McMurdo radio communications centre granted permission to descend to 3050 metres and proceed ‘visually’. Less than 20 minutes later the flight deck altitude device began to blare a warning. Captain Jim Collins had no time to react. Six seconds later the plane slammed into the side of Mt Erebus and disintegrated. There were no survivors.

The Erebus tragedy is remembered not only for its terrible loss of life but for the debate that raged over who or what was to blame. The chief inspector of air accidents attributed the disaster to pilot error. Justice Peter Mahon’s Royal Commission of Inquiry disagreed, placing the blame on Air New Zealand and its systems. He accused company executives and management of covering up evidence and misleading investigators via ‘an orchestrated litany of lies’.