Pilot error blamed for DC10 crash

Press, 9 April 1980, Page 1

Pilot error blamed for DC10 crash

NZPA • Hong Kong The Air New Zealand DCIO crash in the Antarctic was due solely to pilot error, according to the director of flight operations and marketing support for McDonnell Douglas (Captain D. Mullin). He said this in an interview in the “South China Morning Post.” Captain Mullin was quoted as saying, “The crew was Instructed not to descend unless there were more than 20km of visual meteorological conditions.

“The crew descended on instruments to 6000 ft and then asked McMurdo Sound Antarctic Base for permission to descend to 2000 ft,” he said. “The plane hit Mount Erebus at a height of 1558 ft at an airspeed of 266 knots,” Captain Mullin said.

Captain Mullin . rejected assertions that the DCIO is a “lame duck” of “flightless kiwi.” The aircraft was as safe as any airliner flying, today, he said. “All of the DCIO-in-volved crashes were caused by human error or improper maintenance,” he said.

The McDonnell Douglas plane is the subject of continuing controversy in Hong Kong because British Caledonian Airways has been given rights to fly the London-Hong Kong route in preference to the colony-based airline, Cathay Pacific.

British Caledonian flies DCIO aircraft and Cathay Pacific flies the Rolls-Royce-engined Lockheed Tristar. A third contestant for the route was Laker Airways.

Cathay Pacific has appealed against the decision of British Civil Aviation authorities to favour British Caledonian ahead of its application. Businessmen and aviation experts in Hong Kong have characterised the decision as one highly reflective of Hong Kong’s colonial status.

The debate has not made mention of Air New Zealand’s decision not to fly-the Hong Kong-London route as a reciprocal ges-' ture should Cathay be granted permission to fly Hong Kong-Auckland by way of Papua New Guinea. It has been noted, however, that while Air New Zealand rejected Britian’s offer of permission, three other airlines — Laker, British Caledonian, and Cathay Pacific — have fiercely contested prospects of flying the route. In Wellington last evening, the Chief Inspector of Air Accidents (Mr R. Chippindale) expressed surprise that Captain Mullin had spoken about the cause of the Antarctic crash.

“I have not met this gentleman. It surprises me that he sees fit to discuss this,” said Mr Chippindale, who has completed his

interim, and still secret, report on the crash. Mr Chippindale said, he would not comment on.'the accuracy of what Captain Mullin had .said. “We have not commented on any of the other speculation,” Mr Chippindale said. Mr Chippindale’s interim report is not expected to put all the blame bn the pilot,” the "New Zealand. Herald” reports. Rather, a number of human errors, some not committed on the aircraft, are expected to be cited. Incorrect navigational data, the brief the pilot rereceived and the airline’s decision to assign a pilot inexperienced in flying in the Antarctic, are believed to have contributed to the disaster which claimed 257 Jives, the “Herald” reports.