Originally Posted by
morno
Yes sorry Porter, I probably shouldn't have put that last sentence in. I know that there were many factors contributing to this accident, but the final line of defence was that confirmation of position before descent below MSA don't you agree? Had that occurred, like we all do on a daily basis (most of us), then the accident potentially could have been avoided.
Failure to confirm position prior to descent was certainly an error of judgment and airmanship but it was far from the only one and far from the last one. If he had confirmed position, the accident most definitely would not have occurred (not "probably could have been avoided"). After that one particularly bad call however, if Collins had:
- paid heed to Brooks's expressions of unease "where's Erebus in relation to us at the moment/I'm just thinking of any high ground in the area that's all/I don't like this"
- aborted the descent at 2000' when he found himself not in VFR/sightseeing conditions rather than descending further to 1500'
- immediately climbed out at 1500' when things seemed not as they should, given they'd already breached MSA, not maintained VHF contact with McMurdo
the accident also would have been avoided.