Originally Posted by
3 Holer
......................the captain can't be entirely exonerated.
He was and that finding is now etched in stone. A indisputable fact that can be debated ad infinitum but it will make no difference.
The only thing indisputable is that the aircraft hit Mt Erebus. I very much doubt any professional pilot would think the Captain did not contribute to the cause of the accident. Blame is not a word I believe should be used in the context of accidents - professional pilots know this. There are causes and contributing factors which combine to lead to an event. To say the captain is not part of that puzzle is presumptuous and highly disputable. But yes, in the Mahon inquiry, he was exonerated.