Air New Zealand Flight 901

Air New Zealand Flight 901 was a flight that operated from 1977 to 1979. The flight did not stop in Antarctica. It was a sightseeing flight to Antarctica. It was supposed to loop between Auckland, New Zealand, and Antarctica.

Air New Zealand Flight 901
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Debris from the DC-10's fuselage photographed in 2004. Most of the wreckage of Flight 901 remains at the accident site.
Accident summary
Date28 November 1979
SummaryControlled flight into terrain
PlaceMount Erebus, Antarctica
77°25′30″S 167°27′30″E / 77.42500°S 167.45833°E / -77.42500; 167.45833Coordinates: 77°25′30″S 167°27′30″E / 77.42500°S 167.45833°E / -77.42500; 167.45833
Passengers237
Crew20
Fatalities257
Survivors0
Aircraft typeMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
Airline/userAir New Zealand
RegistrationZK-NZP
Flew fromAuckland International Airport

The flight's route had been changed without the crew's knowledge shortly before the plane took off. Because the weather conditions of the Antarctic were so bad (severely limiting visibility), and the crew believed they were following the original flight plan-the plane crashed straight into Mount Erebus. None of the 257 people on board the plane survived the crash. The original investigation showed it was the pilot's fault, but people protested and it led to an inquiry into the crash. The conclusion was the accident was caused by a correction made to the route the night before the disaster, and they failed to inform pilot Captain Jim Collins and co-pilot Greg Cassin.

Country Passengers Crew Total
22x20px New Zealand 180 20 200
 Japan 24 0 24
22x20px United States 22 0 22
22x20px United Kingdom 6 0 6
22x20px India 2 0 2
22x20px Canada 2 0 2
22x20px Mexico 1 0 1
22x20px Australia 1 0 1
22x20px Russia 1 0 1
22x20px Brazil 1 0 1
22x20px China 1 0 1
 Belgium 1 0 1
22x20px France 1 0 1
22x20px Germany 1 0 1
22x20px Italy 1 0 1
17px Switzerland 1 0 1
Total 237 20 257


Air New Zealand Flight 901 Media