Imagine setting off on a sightseeing adventure from which you would never return. This haunting scenario became reality for the passengers of Air New Zealand Flight 901.
On the morning of November 28, 1979, eager explorers gathered at Auckland International Airport, boarding the flight that promised majestic views of Antarctica’s icy landscapes straight from the plane’s windows.
Accompanying the 237 passengers was a guide, ready to highlight notable sights and share fascinating insights about the frozen wilderness below.
Captain Thomas James ‘Jim’ Collins and First Officer Gregory Mark ‘Greg’ Cassin, seasoned pilots, were at the helm as the flight took off at 8 am local time.
The plan was simple: fly over Antarctica, land in Christchurch for refueling, and then return to Auckland, completing an unforgettable loop. Unfortunately, this plan was doomed from the start.
Disaster struck when the pilots, attempting to give their passengers a closer view, descended below safe flying altitudes. Compounded by cloud cover and blowing snow, visibility was severely compromised.
Unbeknownst to the crew, they were steering the DC-10 straight into calamity.
As passengers admired the stark beauty of the ice below, the flight crew engaged the autopilot. Tragically, just moments before the crash, video footage captured the serene yet oblivious mood inside the cabin.
Passengers were casually strolling and enjoying beverages, completely unaware that they were not traveling along McMurdo Sound as intended, but were instead over Lewis Bay, directly on a collision path with Mount Erebus, Antarctica’s second tallest active volcano.
Seconds before disaster, alarms blared—but it was too late. The plane crashed into Mount Erebus and was destroyed instantly.
All 257 souls on board perished, leaving behind only wreckage and a chilling legacy.
In the aftermath, film canisters found at the crash site revealed images that captured the final moments. One particularly haunting photo showed what appeared to be fuel on the window at the moment of impact.
An extensive investigation followed, uncovering that the flight crew had been briefed on a different flight path than the one programmed into the aircraft’s navigational system. They had expected to fly past Mount Erebus, not directly towards it.
The chilling miscommunication led to one of the darkest days in aviation history, forever changing safety protocols and leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of those affected.