Air New Zealand dismissed Captain Gordon Vette's claims into the phenomenon, because the pilots were inexperienced in flying in the Antarctic and they believed the pilots should have flew above the altitude if they thought they were in danger, or were confused about their surroundings. Gordon Vette did extensive research which he presented to the commission on the white out theory and concluded that it was one of the major contributing factors into the crash. Mulgrew: Yes, no, no, I really don’t know”Ĥ8.10- Ross Island there. Maloney or Mulgrew: “Left, about 4 or 5 miles, about 11’oclock.” Because it was impossible to view, they relied solely on the navigation system of the aircraft, which unknown to them, was set to the wrong coordinates.Ĥ3.27- Mulgrew: “There you go, there is some land ahead”Ĥ5:36- Mulgrew: “Taylor on the right now”Ĥ6:39- Brooks: “Where’s Erebus in relation to us at the moment?” When the pilot’s thought they were flying through McMurdo Sound with Mt Erebus to their left and Ross Island on their right, however were highly disorientated as Mt Erebus was straight in front of them, and they were making a b-line into the side of the mountain. The Cock pit voice recorders of the pilots minutes before impact indicate whiteout conditions, as the pilots, along with Peter Mulgrew, are in a state of confusion as to their location, as it was impossible to tell from their point of view. The aircraft was flying 450 meters above sea level in whiteout atmospheric conditions, where the ice and clouds blend into one, making it almost impossible to distinguish between land and air.

Like any crash, there are a variety of causes that caused the accident, however if one of these ceased to exist, the accident could have been prevented.

The cause of the crash varies on person, based on what research they have made leading them to believe something else, mostly varying from Chippendale’s report which blamed the pilot, to Mahon’s report which blamed Air New Zealand.

Mt erebus crash