The Mount Erebus crash, however, was not the result of any airplane engineering errors or faults. Those familiar with the unhappy history of the DC-10 naturally would suspect that another engineering fault had been responsible for this disaster. The aircraft had been carrying 20 crew and 237 passengers. A United States Navy aircraft found the wreckage of the DC-10 on the northern slopes of Mount Erebus at a point about 1,500 feet above sea level. The United States Navy sent out aircraft on intensive searches and ultimately, after several hours, the reason for the long radio silence from the aircraft was discovered. This was the last transmission from the DC-10. the aircraft advised Mac Centre that it was now flying at 6,000 feet in the course of descending to 2,000 feet and that it was still flying VMC…. There followed further transmissions between the aircraft and Mac Centre and then at 12:45 p.m. Thus the aircraft would be approaching lower than the cloud layer, in clear air at an altitude of about 2,000 feet…. This message indicated that the aircraft had found an area free of cloud through which it would descend before leveling out at an altitude less than the cloud base. the aircraft informed Mac Centre that it was flying VMC (visual meteorological conditions) and that it would proceed visually to McMurdo. it was confirmed between Mac Centre and the DC-10 that the aircraft was now descending to 10,000 feet and was requesting a radar let-down through cloud. At 1500 feet, under the cloud layer in the McMurdo area, visibility would be unlimited in all directions…. This suggestion was accepted by the air crew. …Mac Centre suggested that once the aircraft was within 40 miles of McMurdo Station, the entrance of McMurdo Sound, it would be picked up by radar and its descent through cloud guided down to an altitude of 1500 feet. …When the DC-10 was about 140 miles out from McMurdo, Mac Centre transmitted a weather forecast… to the effect that there was a low overcast over Ross Island and the McMurdo area. … The aircraft would probably fly down the Sound at an altitude of somewhere between 1500 feet and 3000 feet, … a perfectly safe altitude at which to fly over flat ground in clear weather, and the cause of no concern to the United States Air Traffic Control. …The aircraft would come in from the north and in the vicinity of Ross Island would descend to a low level so as to afford the passengers… sightseeing. …It was expected that the DC-10 would fly down McMurdo Sound. The flight plan radioed to McMurdo from Auckland had named the pilot in command as Captain Collins. The personnel at McMurdo Station and Scott Base were expecting the arrival of an Air New Zealand DC-10 aircraft carrying sightseeing passengers.
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