I don't remember the procedure at Hallett? Did they turn to a new track? At any rate, their flight plan gave the track direct to McMurdo Station, and not the reporting point over the Ross ice shelf. The track angle difference is only 1.7 degrees. What document did they have to compare the new, wrong track to the prior, correct track?
Radio altimeters are C band, and cannot reliably track the surface of the ice, so I'm told. Some of the 1979 generation of Wx radars were C band, also. ANZ had X band in their DC-10, which should detect ice better. In fact, they use two different frequency radars to measure the depth of ice.
I don't remember there being any evidence the WXR on this flight was even energized, nor any comments recorded on the CVR.
There are so many ways this accident could have been avoided, yet I believe this one is the first that could be at least partly attributed to "Stick to the automatics, son; hand flying is for the birds." I referenced this thread in that one.
I further believe the blind reliance on automation was largely overlooked in both investigations.
GB