![]() Not only was he friends with Air New Zealand CEO Morrie Davis, it was seen by the government that the 100 percent state-owned company not be found responsible for the crash and therefore liable for compensation payments. Justice Mahon’s findings put him on a collision course with then Prime Minister, Rob Muldoon. This was where we first here the phrase “an orchestrated litany of lies”. He released his report in April 1981 and it contradicted the air accident investigator’s findings and instead criticised Air New Zealand in no uncertain terms. His inquiry began in July 1980 and was incredibly in-depth. ![]() That led to the government ordering a Royal Commission of Inquiry which was headed up by High Court judge Justice Peter Mahon. There were also accusations of conflicting evidence given by Air New Zealand staff. It was very controversial and there were some uncertainties about his findings. The inspector of air accidents, Ron Chippindale released his report that came out blaming pilot error. He won a New Zealand Radio Award for his reporting at Erebus and in his speech said he and the other reporters felt like Ernest Hemmingway’s old man, “so much, and so little at the end of it.” One of them was late RNZ reporter John Blumsky.įrom Antarctica, he reported seeing wreckage scattered across the mountain and said only 50-60 bodies would be recovered from the crash. Because of this, only two Kiwi journalists were permitted to go and report from the scene. Johnston says Davis' name was one that came up a lot in the wake of the disaster and ensuing investigation.Īntarctica was a difficult place for recovery teams to work in with limited accommodation. Morrie Davis, then CEO of Air New Zealand, was in the report saying helicopters would be on the scene at Mt Erebus within 20 minutes. It also reported that a US Hercules had sighted wreckage on Mt Erebus. In the programme they reported that the flight was officially lost, with Air New Zealand having made the announcement at 10pm the previous evening that fuel reserves would have been expended. The morning after the crash, RNZ’s Morning Report called it one of the “grimmest reports since the programme began.” This was because the flight plan had been altered the night before without the crew knowing. There were a number of factors causing the crash including white-out conditions, the fact it was flying lower than recommended, and, crucially, that the flight crew thought it was safe to go lower because they believed they were 27 miles west of Mt Erebus. The flight was a sight-seeing expedition down to the south of Antarctica where it crashed into Mt Erebus.
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