Mt Erebus Disaster 40th Anniversary

[Airbubba]

Originally Posted by 73qanda

and descending below MSA, to 1500ft, at 260kts, in an area you have never been to before, with met conditions that prompt you to say “actually it doesn’t look very good up here”, after being told that the conditions for sightseeing were unsuitable, and without getting the radar ID and let down that was in the pipeline.

Originally Posted by 73qanda

If we combine all of those factors, we get a picture of why the accident happened, if we decide to ignore either the company mistakes, or the pilot mistakes, we get an inaccurate picture of why the crash happened.

I agree.

The Erebus tragedy was the subject of two official reports, the first of which blamed pilot error, while the second blamed Air New Zealand's navigation system, [Prime Minister Jacinda] Ardern said.

While the latter inquiry was marred with accusations of conspiracy and false information, no challenge was made to the finding that "convincingly clears" the pilot and first officer of the plane.

"The pilots were not responsible for this tragedy, I stand here today to state that again," Ardern said.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/117746516/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-apologises-for-air-new-zealand-erebus-tragedy-at-40th-anniversary-event

What would be the political motivation for the Prime Minister's statement that the pilots were not responsible? Is she playing to the families and NZALPA? Does it give her leverage over an opposition political party to refute the conclusions of the Chippindale report?

I'm obviously not very knowledgeable about New Zealand politics (although the few Kiwis I've worked with seemed to be experts on everything American ).