Mount Erebus plane crash (Jagran Graphics)
Digital Desk, New Delhi. The Mount Erebus disaster is one of aviation's scariest stories. On 28 November 1979, Air New Zealand flight TE901 collided with Antarctica's highest active volcano, killing all 257 people on board.
Recently, a viral X-post has revived this old sad story, which is spreading rapidly on social media.
Scene of devastation seen in viral post
This X post has again put that horrific moment in front of people. "The pilots thought they were flying over flat ice, but they were actually headed straight for Mount Erebus," the post reads.
A dangerous optical illusion called 'Sector Whiteout' made a white mountain disappear against a white sky. They went straight into the volcano at full speed. A video recorded from inside the plane has also been shared with the post.
Flight TE901: Jab Bani Kaal
In 1977 Air New Zealand began special tourist flights to Antarctica's beautiful scenery. Operated by McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft, these journeys started from Auckland and took approximately 11 hours.
On these flights, passengers were promised snowy views, photography and commentary. These flights were extremely popular and were always fully booked. TE901 flight of 28 November 1979 was carrying 237 passengers and 20 crew members.
The pilots on the November 28 flight were Captain Jim Collins and First Officer Greg Cassin, who had never flown this route before. They were instructed to pass over McMurdo Sound, a flat icy area.
But just before takeoff, the airline's navigation center updated the coordinates, shifting the course 31 miles to the east.
Now the plane was heading straight towards Ross Island, where the 12,000 feet high Mount Erebus volcano is located. The crew member was not informed of this change.
Lives lost in pursuit of better view
The flight remained normal for several hours. As soon as they reached Antarctica, the pilots contacted McMurdo Station and asked for permission to land at an altitude of 2,000 feet to give the passengers a better view.
This altitude was below safety standards, but common on tourist flights. The passengers in the cabin were excitedly making videos. Many photos were taken seconds before the accident, which were found later.
What is whiteout effect?
The cause of the accident was the 'whiteout' effect, in which uniform light reflection from snow and clouds creates the illusion of depth.
The pilots thought there was flat ice in front, whereas it was the slope of a volcano. The warning system sounded the alarm, but six seconds later the plane crashed into the mountain.
257 people lost their lives
After contact was lost, a search operation began and the debris of the flight was found. All 257 people were killed, making it New Zealand's worst tragedy.
44 bodies could not be identified. Almost every person in New Zealand's population of three million at that time was connected to this tragedy.
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