Erebus report

Press, 1 May 1981, Page 12

Erebus report

Sir,—Air New Zealand’s check and training pilot (Captain Gordon Vette) is reported as saying that he had no doubt the inquiry would exonerate the pilots and that he was pleased this had happened. In view of such a cosy attitude among the training staff of the airline — that it was perfectly all right for the crew not to be alerted by, or even to identify, a distinctive land mass (Beaufort Island) which was grossly out of position in relation to the imagined track of the aircraft; and for the aircraft still to descend to a low altitude in poor visibility in an area known to be mountainous — I have to conclude, for my own preservation, that when I next leave New Zealand I would be well advised to travel by surface means to my airport departure and thence fly by foreign airline.—Yours, etc.,

DOUGLAS McKENZIE. April 29, 1981.

Sir,—On the strength of the findings of the Royal Commission on the Mount Erebus disaster, the New Zealand airline hierarchy of Messrs Davis, McLachlan and Muldoon, should be made to resign in the Sublic interest. Mr Muldoon, as re chief shareholder on behalf of the State, must take his share of blame for this disaster and the appeal for public support should go unheeded until a complete purge has been made of the people who have badly tarnished the high safety reputation our national airline has achieved over the years. No replacement of aircraft should be entertained until the colossal sum of compensation is paid out.—Yours, etc., L. WESTNEY. April 28, 1981.