![]() ![]() "The event is particularly poignant this year, as we consider the upheaval and thousands of job losses for aviation workers as a result of the pandemic.” Townsend says a small gathering of about 20-30 people is expected to attend the service, including friends and whānau of those who lost their lives, as well as current crew. The one-minute silence at 1.49pm will mark the moment of impact when passengers and crew on Air New Zealand flight TE901 lost their lives in the tragedy on the slopes of Mt Erebus in Antarctica 41 years ago.Ī wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the crew memorial garden near Auckland Airport in Māngere this afternoon. “Today marks a day when our national airline, the nation, and the families of those aboard, suffered a great tragedy," says Dayna Townsend, an E tū union organiser. In 2019 the government announced that a national Erebus memorial would be erected in Auckland’s Parnell Rose Gardens.Īt an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the disaster, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the chair of Air New Zealand delivered an apology.The union representing aviation workers has invited Kiwis to join in observing a minute's silence this afternoon in remembrance of the 237 passengers and 20 crew lost in Air New Zealand’s Mt Erebus disaster 41 years ago today. These have continued, especially on significant anniversaries. Memorial services for the victims were held in the immediate aftermath of the crash. The Erebus disaster has been remembered in many ways. There were clearly a number of contributing factors, but which was the most significant, and whether the pilots or the airline were ultimately responsible, remains a matter of intense debate. The chief inspector of air accidents attributed the disaster to pilot error, but Justice Peter Mahon’s Royal Commission of Inquiry placed the blame on Air New Zealand and its systems. An air accident investigation began, using information from the aircraft’s flight recorders and other sources.ĭebate raged over who was at fault for the accident. ![]() Against heavy odds, they retrieved all the bodies and eventually 214 were identified. More than 60 professionals and volunteers were involved in the gruelling tasks of recovering bodies from the crevasse-riven site and inspecting the wreckage to determine the cause of the disaster. ![]() Confirmation that there were no survivors came the next day. Search and rescue operations began in Antarctica, but it was not until midnight (NZST) that aircraft spotted wreckage on the lower slopes of Mt Erebus. It was clear that the plane, if still airborne, would soon run out of fuel. When TE901 failed to arrive at Christchurch on schedule, authorities feared the worst. The flights had always operated smoothly and were popular with both Kiwis and tourists. Passengers enjoyed low-level views of the Ross Dependency before the aircraft returned to Auckland via Christchurch. ![]() It was the worst civil disaster in New Zealand’s history.Īir New Zealand had begun operating sightseeing flights from Auckland to Antarctica in 1977. (New Zealand Standard Time), the aircraft crashed into the lower slopes of Mt Erebus, killing all 257 passengers and crew. On the morning of 28 November 1979, Air New Zealand Flight TE901 left Mangere airport, Auckland, for an 11-hour return sightseeing flight to Antarctica. ![]()
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