Prospector
Also look at the finding of Judge H Greene, District Court USA. when the blame was tried to be foisted on the Controllers at McMurdo.
" The Court concluded that the disaster was the fault of both Air New Zealand and the FLIGHT CREW, and that the US Navy controllers bore no responsibility. The case was dismissed and, being delivered entirely on facts was not appealed."
Can you give me some more details about this case? I have tracked down a Judge Harold H. Greene of the US District Court in Washington DC but can’t find the case you mention.
Can you give me any info on the case number, date plaintiffs/respondents etc.?
Did this judge conduct a separate accident investigation, or did he rely on Chippindale’s report?
He obviously was not referring to Mahon’s report, which did not blame the flight crew.
If he was relying on Chippindale’s report, then I give your argument no points at all.
Chippindale produced a good report, based on what was known at the time and using what are now outdated methods of investigation.
However, when you consider all the extra details brought to light in Mahon’s investigation, when Chippindale writes …
2.5 The flight plan was printed for each flight from a computer stored record which, until the night before the flight, had the longitude for the McMurdo destination point incorrectly entered ………….
……… In the case of this crew no evidence was found to suggest that they had been misled by this error in the flight plan shown to them at the briefing.
….. that is obviously absurd.
Similarly when you say
…….Office of Air Accident investigation report, which remains the sole official account---and has never been officially challenged."
… are you suggesting that Chippindale’s report is the definitive report on the accident?
It may not have been “officially challenged”, but you cannot deny that Mahon’s investigation showed Chippindale came to a lot of incorrect conclusions.
You can’t blame Chippindale too much; he was working with what was available at the time. However, if you are trying to argue that Chippindale’s report is the sole correct version then, once again, … that is obviously absurd.