No ‘definite’ cause found for DC10 Erebus crass

Press, 10 June 1980, Page 1

No ‘definite’ cause found for DC10 Erebus crass

PA Wellington A definite cause of the Air New Zealand Mount Erebus DCIO crash is not contained in the final —• and for the moment secret ~ report in the hands of the Minister of Transport (Mr McLachlan), the Inspector of Air Accidents (Mr Ron Chippindale) indicated yesterday.

Mr- Chippindale said he had not been able to find out definitely what caused the plane to crash on Mount Erebus in Antarctica last November with the loss of 257 lives. ■"With a structural failure in the aircraft, it would be quite simple. However, things start to get quite complicated when there arei several factors to take. into account,” he said.

Mr Chippindale said he had had difficulty .in finding "the ultimate cause” for the crash. "Therefore I. have said in the report what I think is the probable cause — the last thing that made the accident inevitable.” he said. However there were other factors — or causes leading up to the accident. The report runs to more than 50 pages and contains pictures of the crash scene and wreckage. The last words of the crew spoken about five minutes from the crash are included in" a transcript from the DClO’s cockpit voice recorder which was salvaged from the wreck. Mr McLachlan received the report on Friday — but he is not bound to make it public. A spokesman for Mr McLachlan’s office said late yesterday that it was likely the Minister had not yet read the report, but would probably study it overnight.

The Acting Prime Minister (Mr Taiboys) said Mr McLachlan would make a decision within the next few days on whether the report would be made public. Mr Chippindale said his report had undergone some , modification and

tion received from parties to whom blame for the accident might be attached. The parties have had the last §0 days in which to make submissions on Mr Chippindale’s interim findings. The report’s findings would have a big bearing on how much Air New Zealand and its London insurance underwriters would have to pay in compensation to relatives of those who died.

An Auckland Q.C., Mr Lloyd Brown, acting as a counsel for Air New Zealand, said the Commission of Inquiry into the crash — already announced by the Government — would probably have to report before any compensation claims could go ahead. A spokesman for the Minister of Justice (Mr McLay) said that the terms of reference for the commission of inquiry would probably be announced within the next two days. Death certificates for the remaining 13 unidentified victims of the crash should be available this week. These would be available from the Registrar-General of Deaths as soon as he received a copy of the High Court order granting leave to swear death, the Minister of Justice (Mr McLay) said yesterday. Application for leave to swear death had been made to the High Court by Air New Zealand and the registrar-genera! had received confinnation of the order made in the High Court in Auckland by telephone. However, the registrargeneral was required by law to sight the order and, as soon as he had done so, the deaths would be registered at his office in Lower Hutt, Mr McLay said. "Death certificates will then be automatically available,” he said.