Written with undue haste

Press, 6 September 1980, Page 17

Written with undue haste

White Out! By Michael Guy. Alister Taylor Publishers, 1980. 254 pp. $6.95.

(Reviewed by

A. J. Petre)

Anyone who has followed news reports of the DCIO crash in Antarctica, the subsequent report of the inspector of air accidents. Mr R. Chippindale, and the proceedings of the Commission of Inquiry, will learn little that is new from this book. They may learn some unpleasant details of the recovery operations, and the injuries to victims but they will not learn how to spell Mr Chippindale’s name or the name of the head of the Antarctic Division of the D.5.1.R., which are incorrect throughout.

The haste of production is apparent in some, other aspects of the book, and the section detailing the moments of the crash includes ‘ some dramatic, licence that would have been better avoided. Official messages are reprinted, as is a passenger-list and Mr Chippindale’s conclusions. Such mate-

rial, along with details qf other DC 10 crashes, and the experience of one particular woman who lost her husband in the disaster, take up a lot of space in the book. The story of the crash is, of coursej far from over. The Commission of- Inquiry is yet to finish its hearings ahd reach its findings, and compensation questions will not be settled for a long time. This being so, the book does gather much of die detail of the crash,, and its surrounding circumstances, and present them well. It is adequately illustrated, and is at its best when outlining the remarkable work of the. body-recovery and identification teams, and the unpleasant conditions in which they had to work. The publishers correctly say that “White Out!” has .worn-.“the amazing publishing race” of books on the disaster; perhaps later works (two are oh the way) will gain in depth, .and insight by virtue of extra 7 time "spent in production. Mr Guy’s book is a good effort, but it may yet prove to have come out too soon. .S'