Having had a mate sitting in the back of a Westwind as it ploughed into the McDonnell Ranges, I can't believe people are saying this is not a big deal. It is a huge deal, it is one of the most fundamental parts of aviation "don't run out of fuel, don't hit the f...ing hills". Only luck had it that they were 1000' low at the "right" time, so to speak. The Westwind on approach to Alice Springs was the wrong time, it hit the highest boulder sitting on the range, for the sake of twenty feet left, right or up they would be here.
This is a BIG deal!
