DozyWannabe, a well written post that was a pleasure to read - and containing a few hints that we are getting near the end of your contributions! (for the moment).
I sense this thread is getting near its end, but I'm sure there will be more threads on this accident in the future. I would like to thank DozyWannabe, prospector, Ampan, framer and all the others for a civilised and thoughtful discussion. For students of air safety, such as myself, these discussions are invaluable.
Hopefully, all of you will still be with us when this topic comes up again in 2019!
Dozy, you touched on a point that I was about to bring up. You described it - very articulately - as "organisational entropy", and described how this effect would have made for a briefing that was far less useful than could have been.
I was about to direct a post at Ampan about the "quality" of that briefing.
Ampan, I believe your views re the effectiveness of that briefing are seriously misplaced.
From what I have read, that briefing was full of little inaccuracies and contradictions.
We have all attended briefings like that. At first, you are tempted to ask questions to resolve the confusions, but after a short while, you realise there is almost no value in questioning. Instead, you just sit back and take *everything* with a pinch of salt.
Could this have been the reason Collins felt compelled to plot the route for himself?
Everybody says he did it because he was "meticulous". If it had been me, I would have been plotting it purely because the briefing was a dogs breakfast - but probably would not have if I felt the briefing was respectable.
I have been saying for a week now that there was nothing the pilots could reasonably have been expected to do differently.
The same could not be said for Air New Zealand or the CAA.