THE PRESS SATURDAY. MAY 2, 1981. Erebus report wrangle

Press, 2 May 1981, Page 14

THE PRESS SATURDAY. MAY 2, 1981. Erebus report wrangle

The time has come for a decent halt in the wrangle.;over, the report of the Royal Commission intpthe Erebiis disaster; Mr Justice Mahon has reported his Conclusions from a .great mass of evidence and he has done so in;’the measured, .judicial fashion that..is expected of a person with his experience, and standing. As was predictable, some people are not. happy .with’ his’ findings — in particular, senior people in. Air New Zealand. In view, of the . findings, .of the commission.. .their feelings ate -easily:. understood. ..-Had. Mr Justice Mahoh- pointed to serious- fault elsewhere, sbrneonp/else would, have been grieved,. • ■ Mr ..Justice ; Mahon has' woven. t a fabric bf assessment; and. logic; In; the course-of this he has been careful to. '■Explainx. how- new evidence,’ riot"’ known' to the'‘Chief Inspector of Air Accidents.’ rptodUced. b • thafy ’conflicts" with ythe-report-of the inspector. .This change of ■conclusion has'been at the-'centre of the subsequent debate; it is equally central to "the Judge’s statement about misleading "evidence that was calculated to reinforce the inspector's conclusion about the errors 'that-caused the Erebus crash. -. •'-■ The' opportunity to take the disputed’ conclusions to the. High Court appears to be acknowledged; the wisdom of doing so is another matter. The decision is in the

hands of those in the Air New Zealand board and management and must be taken in the light of the Judge's reminder that his conclusions were based solely on the evidence heard. Such a reminder should not be heeded; but it is obvious that Mr Justice Mahon felt that the soundness of his conclusions has been so pointedly and mistakenly challenged that he should take the*'unusual course of issuing a statement. In the political arena the statements "that have been made may have originated for some out of a sense of loyalty to the Air New Zealand board and senior staff, and for-others out of genuine concern for the ’.standing of the commission. As the wrangle goes on it looks like a point- . scoring game. Airline pilots have ..threatened action if Air New Zealand tries /to'mverturn the commission's decision. The threats and the point-scoring should stop. If the police decide that action must be taken over an alleged cover-up exercise, the action will be determined in court. If the airline board challenges the ".decisions, the court may clarify the questions or the board may land itself and itsofficers in deeper water. In the meantime, the threshing about is beginning to look like an obscene epilogue to the tragedy.