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Old 1st Jul 2009, 02:47
  #30 (permalink)  
ampan
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: New Zealand
Age: 64
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I have every single one of those publications - and a few more.

But where, amongst the advertised weblinks, is the long PPrune thread re Erebus "25 years ago"?

Prospector is right. This was a bad case of pilot error, which coincided with a very bad case of airline error.

To state the bleeding obvious: yes, the crew thought they were flying down McMurdo Sound, and not towards Mt.Erebus.

But why did they think that?

Because at the briefing there was a handout, which showed a final waypoint at the end of McMurdo Sound, not at McMurdo Station.

But, and there can be no argument about this, the crew, at the briefing were told that their nav track was direct to McMurdo Station.

They might not have been told that this track went over the summit of Mt Erebus, but they were, definitely, told that the track was direct to McMurdo Station.

So if you're plotting the route the night before, using the handout from the briefing, and see that the nav track shows a nav track down McMurdo Sound (ie, not direct to McMurdo Station), what do you do?

According to Mahon and NZALPA, you are entitled to assume that the handout is correct and then drop the aircraft through a hole in the cloud down to 1500 feet, within 20nm of a 13000 ft mountain.

Complete f*cking bullsh*t.

PS: The penny eventually dropped: Despite the F/O recommending a right turn, the Captain instigated a left turn using the autopilot. Can any of the "believers" out there explain that one?
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