Originally Posted by
OZBUSDRIVER
If there was a smoke in the area as bad as the video on the first ABC link in this thread. It appears from the tracks depicted, no orbit was conducted,therefore no prior knowledge of the terrain regarding ingress and egress. The dry grass is the same colour as the smoke. Combine that with the knoll being the high ground on that plateau. No depth perception, limited horizon and the sortie completed was over lower forested ground. It is quite possible that tree line on the knoll materialising out of the smoke above the pilots was the only indication they were in trouble. My impression of the impact path looks like an attempt to climb..gradual impact followed by a deeper gouge the further up the hill. The splays of the impact are a very narrow angle looking up the hill.
I agree. It is looking more and more like the same insidious illusion the NZ901 crew experienced on the gradual slope of Mt Erebus - except in entirely the opposite conditions. Brown out perhaps. Whatever the cause, it is an extremely tragic accident and my thoughts are with families of the lost crew. Very sad day.