40 years ago today: TE901 - the Erebus disaster

[nuuumannn]

On 28 Novermber 1979, Air New Zealand McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 ZK-NZP, operating as Flight TE901 flew into the side of Mt Erebus in Antarctica, with the loss of 257 lives. It shocked our small country then and to this day. It remains the worst man made disaster on the continent.

Air New Zealand Flight 901 - Wikipedia

This small clip, all 25 seconds of it was taken on board moments before the aircraft hit the mountain, and was recovered from the crash site.



This is the aircraft's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.

TE901

 

[nuuumannn]

Sorry, should be 40 years ago...

 

[rochie]

On 28 Novermber 1979, Air New Zealand McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 ZK-NZP, operating as Flight TE901 flew into the side of Mt Erebus in Antarctica, with the loss of 257 lives. It shocked our small country then and to this day. It remains the worst man made disaster on the continent.

Air New Zealand Flight 901 - Wikipedia

This small clip, all 25 seconds of it was taken on board moments before the aircraft hit the mountain, and was recovered from the crash site.



This is the aircraft's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.

View attachment 562205TE901

remember reading about this many years ago, also just read a big article about it on the BBC website, very sad all round

 

[Crimea_River]

Sorry to admit that I did not know about this one. Thanks for posting.

You can edit the header by clicking on the "Thread starter" button at the top right corner of your first post.

 

[Gnomey]

Have read about it before. Very sad story indeed.

 

[nuuumannn]

Its a complex one. So many factors that happened made it a minefield to try and make sense of. During Human Factors training for work, we examine a few accidents and incidents but Erebus is largely left alone because of the complexities of the situation. "A malevolent trick of the Polar Light", was how Justice Mahon described what happened in one sentence.

 

[MiTasol]

Its a complex one. So many factors that happened made it a minefield to try and make sense of. During Human Factors training for work, we examine a few accidents and incidents but Erebus is largely left alone because of the complexities of the situation. "A malevolent trick of the Polar Light", was how Justice Mahon described what happened in one sentence.

Several Air NZ DC-10 cockpit crew that I know/knew had a totally different take on it from Justice Mahon and had a very low opinion of both him and his report Verdict on Erebus.

They all backed the official report and pointed out that the documents Mahon claimed ANZ refused to supply him were all previously collected by the NZCAA investigators, and retained by them. You cannot supply what you do not have. They were also able to identify the mysterious "extra person" in the cockpit that both Mahon and the captain kept referring to even though Mahon said he could not identify who it was as there was no-one on the manifest of that name or known nickname.

 

[nuuumannn]

MiTasol, I'm not taking sides on this. It is a contentious issue among many people and the point of my post was to remember the incident, not debate the vagaries of the official enquiry or its outcomes. I work in the aviation industry in this country - there are lots of opinions on it, and I've heard most of them. I have read many books on the subject and have my thughts on it, but this isn't the place where I'd choose to voice those.

 

[MiTasol]

MiTasol, I'm not taking sides on this. It is a contentious issue among many people and the point of my post was to remember the incident, not debate the vagaries of the official enquiry or its outcomes. I work in the aviation industry in this country - there are lots of opinions on it, and I've heard most of them. I have read many books on the subject and have my thughts on it, but this isn't the place where I'd choose to voice those.

Which is why I did not expand

 

[michael rauls]

I've never heard of this incident. Thanks for posting about it. It's striking how calm everyone is in the video........Rest in peace all.

 

[Lucky13]

I don't think that I've heard of this incident....