" Now go back and look again at the Mahone report, Impact Erebus, and other publications on that accident and the route cause is obvious."
Yes, the cause certainly is obvious.
Mahons publication,containing what one would expect it to contain, is actually titled "Verdict on Erebus".
Gordon Vettes publication is entitled "Impact Erebus"
There are many other publications and reports on this accident, many by Pilots with many years of experience in airline flying, and very few of them agree with Mahons findings, which is not suprising as he had absolutely no aviation experience or expertise.
His findings were admittedly of value in the aftermath of the accident, the political sheenanigans, the shortcomings of some of Air New Zealand's operational staff, but his knowledge of cockpit behaviour in large, or for that matter, any aircraft, as he accused the Chief Accident inspector of, was non existant.
All this happened after the accident, if the mandatory descent requirements were adhered to, even one of them, then the accident would not have happened.