Fifty-five years ago, on 29 May 1953, Ed Hillary stood on top of the world. The legendary mountaineer, adventurer and philanthropist, who died on 11 January 2008, became the best-known
New Zealander ever to have lived. His
familiar, craggy face even adorns our $5 note.
On 28 November 1979, 237 passengers and 20 crew were killed when Air New Zealand Flight TE901 crashed into the side of Mt Erebus, Antarctica. The Erebus tragedy is remembered for the terrible loss of life, the demands of the recovery operation and the debate that raged over who or what was to blame.
On 29 May – four days before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – Hillary and the experienced Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mt Everest and became the first men to stand on the ‘roof of the world’.
In 1987 Ed Hillary was among the first 20 people selected as members of
the Order of New Zealand (ONZ), this country’s highest honour. He has been the recipient of numerous honours during his lifetime.
Flight TE901 was classed as a domestic excursion flight, so passenger documentation was less rigorous than it would have been on an international flight. Some families had not known that their relative was on the flight.
In this page from Air New Zealand's The Antarctic experience brochure, Mt Erebus – the 'sentinel of McMurdo' – is clearly visible from the DC-10's cockpit.
The bodies of the victims of Air New Zealand Flight TE901 were flown by Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules aircraft to Whenuapai Air Base in Auckland.
