Desert Dingo #554:
The Simplest Explanation: I don’t think “Wilson didn’t tell them that the track was over Erebus” is the simplest explanation, because you then have to ask what he did tell them. And that’s going to lead into all sorts of complications. Whereas “Wilson told them that the track was to the NDB at McMurdo Station” explains everything, including the captain’s decision to turn left. (On that topic, I accept what Mahon says about the “sudden manual application of left rudder”. But before this, a left turn was initiated using the autopilot, and there is no dispute about that.)
As to the points raised -
“All the briefing material implied that the track was not over Erebus.” Even if that were true, ‘over Erebus’ is not the relevant issue. The correct question to ask is whether all the briefing material implied that the track went to somewhere other than the McMurdo Station.
Wilson did not notice the Dailey Islands waypoint for 14 months – Although it was 14 months, there were only four briefing sessions during that period. When put like that, the failure to notice seems much less strange.
The denials of the surviving pilots – The only denials concerned ‘over Erebus’. None of the three disputed Wilson’s evidence re the nav track going to McMurdo Station.
Why Collins engaged the nav track – He believed it went to the Dailey Islands. His belief was the result of an error.
Why didn’t Cassin object? – Cassin also believed that the nav track went to the Dailey Islands. He adopted the captain’s belief, which was an error.
End of #552:
Mahon’s findings:
In the passage quoted by Desert Dingo, Mahon is not referring to Capt. Simpson’s evidence concerning what Capt. Wilson said about the nav track. Mahon is referring to Capt. Simpson’s evidence about his telephone discussion with Capt. Johnson.
Even if Mahon had said that he accepted Capt. Simpson’s evidence in its entirety (which he didn’t) the plain fact of the matter is that Capt. Simpson never disputed Capt. Wilson’s evidence that the he told the crew that the nav track went to McMurdo Station. Capt. Simpson only disputed Capt. Wilson’s evidence that he told the crew that the track went over Erebus.
This might explain why Mahon’s only finding on the subject appears to support Capt. Wilson’s version – see #499. He hears Capt. Wilson say: (1) "I told them that the nav track was to McMurdo Station”, and (2) “I told them that this track went over Erebus”. He then hears Capt. Simpson and two others say that “Wilson did not tell us that the track went over Erebus”. So what would you conclude from that, assuming that you preferred the evidence of the three surviving pilots where there was a conflict. You would conclude that Capt. Wilson told the crew that the nav track went to McMurdo Station, but that he did not say that this track went over Erebus. And that’s exactly what Mahon concludes – see p60, para 164(b).