"Chippindale got that dead wrong."
That statement is dead wrong. Before you make statements like that, get hold of the known, undisputable facts.
This is what the Company orders were for that flight, there is no doubt the crew were aware of these requirements, a copy was found in the cockpit after the crash.
" Delete all reference in Briefing dated 23/10/79. Note that the ONLY let-down procedure available in VMC below FL160 (16,000ft) to 6,000ft as follows.
1. Vis 20 km plus
2. No snow showers in area.
3. Avoid Mt Erebus area by operating in an arc from 120degrees Grid through 360G to 270G, from McMurdo Field, within 20 nm of TACAN CH29.
4 Descent to be co-ordinated with local radar control as they may have other traffic in the area.
You will note that this is the ONLY let down available.
Which of these requirements was complied with??
You should also be aware that the requirements as stated was to cover the fact that this crew were completely inexperienced in AntArctic operations, in fact the only one to have been down to the ice was one of the Flight Engineers.
You no doubt know, that all other operators required a minimum time as First Officer, observer etc before going down there in command.
The weather at McMurdo was below requirements for the only approved let down procedure. To go and invent your own let down procedure, especially when at no time Mt Erebus was ever sighted, is surely the hight of folly, and the end results were exactly what the approved descent procedure was designed to avoid.