In 1977, a flight path was developed by Air New Zealand for the DC 10's flight computers to fly to Antarctica via an end waypoint above the Williams field ice runway at McMurdo Station.
Upon completion of the first two Antarctic flights, the waypoint was adjusted slightly to a new position at McMurdo Station.
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In 1979, the Air New Zealand navigation division fed the Antarctic flight plan into a new ground computer. A mistake was made.
For a period of 14 months, flights were programmed to safely follow a track down McMurdo Sound away from Ross Island and Mt Erebus.
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A few weeks before the fatal flight, another pilot had queried the flight path after he noticed McMurdo Sound was further away than this computerised track.
After 14 months, the error was finally identified and was tragically 'corrected' the night before the accident. No one told the flight crew.
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At 12:49pm (NZT) on the afternoon of November 28 1979, Air New Zealand flight 901 crashed into Mt Erebus in Antarctica. There were no survivors of the crash.
At the time, it was the fourth worst accident in aviation history.
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Six months after the accident. the Chippindale report was released. It detailed the probable cause of the accident as being "the decision of the Captian to continue the flight at low level toward an area of poor surface and horizon definition when the crew was not certain of their position and the subsequent inability to identify the rising terrain that intercepted the aircraft's flight path.
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The NZ Government announced a Royale Commission of Inquiry was to be conducted into the accident by Jutice Peter Mahon
The report was released on 27th April 1981, attributed the singular case of the crash process where the navigation computer co-ordinates were altered by Air New Zealand without advising the flight crew.
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After 20 years, the Mahon Report was eventually tabbed in the New Zealand Parliament in 1999, which meant that the Mahon Report was officially accepted as an official government report.
The acceptance of the report vindicated the flight crew of the blame attributed to them twenty years earlier.
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June 24 - NZALPA launches the Erebus.co.nz website.
October 23 - at Air New Zealand's head office in Auckland, a memorial named 'Momentum' is unveiled as a representation of the history of Air New Zealand, including Erebus. CEO Rob Fyfe apologises to the families of victims of the Erebus tragedy as they "did not receive the support and compassion that they should have from Air New Zealand at the time."
November - Five representatives for the families of victims and crew visit Antarctica for a special 30 year Memorial Service.
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