Originally Posted by
ampan
What was AirNZ to gain by pinning it on the crew?
Originally Posted by
Brian Abraham
Absolution.
Maybe, but just as importantly, if it ever became common public knowledge that the co-ordinates were changed without the crew's knowledge (it was in Chippindale's report, but as more of a footnote than anything else - the press certainly didn't report it as a contributory cause), then it would only be a matter of time before the lid was lifted on their lackadaisical organisational and communications habits - not only something that Morrie Davis could not survive politically, but would also leave Rob Muldoon with egg on his face.
Which, as it turns out, was precisely what happened at the Mahon inquiry and became the reason for the political backbiting and desperation on the part of Muldoon and his old boys' network to try to get it overturned.
This is why I'm inclined to be more favourable to the NZALPA/Mahon version of events - ANZ did everything they could to prevent any deviation from their side of the story from seeing the light of day because the management knew it would be their careers on the line. The NZALPA delegation (and Vette in particular) were willing to risk their careers and decades-long friendships in order for the truth about the accident to come out - the aviation industry is rarely forgiving of whistleblowers, even if they turn out to be right. Indeed - after the Mahon report was published Vette himself was reinstated as an ANZ Captain, but he never regained his seniority. In my opinion it says a lot for the man that he considered it a price worth paying.
Originally Posted by
ampan
If you move the actual track over to the previous nav track (ie, the yellow line), with the same amount of AINS drift, then the aircraft gets very close to Mt Bird, which is 1766 meters or 5790 feet. That's fine when he's at 10000 feet heading back to the north, but when he turns back towards the south and descends to 1500 feet, Mt Bird, which he thinks is to his left, would become important. Yet even after the F/O says it's clear to the right, he decides to go left, at an altitude of 1500 feet towards a 5790 foot mountain.
I'm eyeballing with an image editor here, and the resolution is not high enough to tell for certain, but even with an equivalent eastward drift, it looks like they'd have made it if they'd turned left (Mt. Bird is only 5790ft at the peak and they'd have been over the lower western slopes - remember that he was about to command a *climbing* left turn with TOGA power). Not shown on that graphic are the Cape Bernacchi cliffs to the crew's right, which would have also been problematic if the drift had been westward rather than eastward. I'm convinced that Collins' left turn was because he could see the cliffs on his side but not Cassin's, and if what we're told about him as a pilot is correct then he felt he should take the responsibility wherever the chips should fall.