Captain Collins had been given a set of information that the airline changed overnight without informing him, which he followed dutifully
Dozy that is a simplistic view. He accepted responsibility for navigating the aircraft clear of terrain visually, then relied on something else to achieve that (AINS). The result was that they lost the protection of both MSA and navigating visually.
The disaster that bears the most similarities to TE901 on Erebus to my mind is non aviation-related, and it is the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986
We can each find events that suit our arguments. I could easily find many accidents that wouldn't have happened if a safety height was adhered to.
1/ Erebus (FL 160 MSA)
2/ Perpignan (Airbus safety height FL140)
3/ Pukerua Bay Iroquois (NVG min height 600ft)
Dozy, when, as Pin C of a heavy jet, would you consider it prudent to fly 250kts, 1500ft, clean, straight and level?
FGD is the only one who answered my earlier question about this. He thinks as long as there is 20km viz. (what a coincidence).
How about, when you've never been to an area before, there are snow showers and a reported 2000ft cloud base, you've told your crew that 'it's hard to distinguish between cloud and ice', you know there is terrain in the vicinity and that you're not over the ocean. Is that the appropriate time to do it? I really want to know if you think that is reasonable as FGD would say.