"In other words, the nav track was supposed to go over the active volcano to the NDB, and that’s where all the AirNZ witnesses thought it went."
From John King publication.
"Nineteen days earlier, Jim Collins and Greg Cassin had attended a route qualification briefing in preparation for the flight. It consisted of an audio visual presentation, a review of a printed briefing sheet and a 45 minute session in the DC10 simulator to familiarise each pilot with cloud penetration and visual meteorological conditions (VMC) letdown procedures at McMurdo. Those were based on the McMurdo non directional beacon (NDB), which was at that time the most suitable radio beacon near Williams field, and the simulator exercise started from about 50 nautical miles north on the direct Cape Hallett McMurdo NDB track which passed over the top of Mount Erebus at 16,000ft before letting down."
And then we have on 8 November 1979
"Delete all reference in briefing dated 23/10/79. Note that the only let down procedure available is VMC below FL160 (16,000ft) to 6,000ft as follows."
Requirements have been printed on thread a number of times.
A copy of this memorandum was recovered from the cockpit wreckage.
No ifs or buts, the crew must have been aware of the requirements, a written copy was with them.