Almost five decades later, the Mount Erebus disaster still stands as one of aviation's most haunting stories. What was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime sightseeing trip to Antarctica turned into New Zealand's worst civil tragedy. On November 28, 1979, Air New Zealand Flight TE901 crashed into Mount Erebus, Antarctica's highest active volcano, killing everyone on board.
A Viral X Post Brings the Story Back
The tragedy continues to resurface in public memory. A post going viral on X has once again drawn attention to the ill-fated flight – and the chilling moments just before impact.
The post reads:
“The pilots thought they were flying over flat ice, but they were actually heading straight for Mount Erebus. A deadly optical illusion known as ‘sector whiteout' made the white mountain invisible against the white sky. They flew directly into the volcano at full speed.”
The post also features a video shot from inside the aircraft. Take a look:
What Was Flight TE901?
As per a report by Britannica, Air New Zealand began operating scenic Antarctic flights in 1977. The airline used McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft for the journey. Each trip lasted around 11 hours and departed from Auckland.
The flights were designed for leisure. Passengers were promised stunning views, photography opportunities, and onboard commentary from experts. These trips became extremely popular and regularly sold out. Flight TE901 was one such sightseeing journey.
On November 28, 1979, the aircraft carried 237 passengers and 20 crew members.
A Silent Navigation Change
The pilots for the day were Captain Jim Collins and First Officer Greg Cassin. Though they had never flown the Antarctica route before, they had been briefed on the expected flight path. The plan was to fly over McMurdo Sound, an area of flat water and sea ice, before reaching the continent.
Before takeoff, the pilots entered latitude and longitude coordinates into the aircraft's navigation system. What they did not know was that earlier that morning, Air New Zealand's navigation centre had made a change. Thinking it was a small correction, officials altered two coordinates.
That change shifted the flight path 31 miles east. Instead of flying over McMurdo Sound, the aircraft was now headed directly over Ross Island – home to Mount Erebus, an active volcano rising more than 12,000 feet. The crew was never informed of this change.
Descent Into Danger
As reported by the BBC, the flight progressed normally for several hours. As it neared Antarctica, the pilots contacted the U.S. Navy air traffic control centre at McMurdo Station. They informed controllers that the aircraft would descend to 2,000 feet to give passengers a better view.
While this altitude was below standard safety levels, such descents were common for sightseeing flights. Captain Jim Collins even flew loops through the clouds to improve visibility. Believing they were flying over flat ice, there seemed to be no reason for concern.
Inside the cabin, passengers were busy clicking photos and filming videos. Many of these images were later recovered and developed. Some were taken just seconds before the crash.
The Whiteout Effect
One of the key factors behind the crash was a weather phenomenon known as whiteout. Whiteout occurs when light reflects evenly between snow-covered ground and cloud-filled skies. This creates an illusion of clear visibility, removing depth perception entirely.
The pilots believed the white surface ahead was ice and snow on water. In reality, it was the slope of Mount Erebus. The volcano blended seamlessly into the sky.
Shortly before 1 pm, the aircraft's proximity warning system sounded. Six seconds later, the plane flew straight into the mountain.
No Survivors, A Nation in Shock
All communication with Flight TE901 stopped moments before impact. As per Britannica, search-and-rescue aircraft were dispatched after the plane failed to respond. Wreckage was soon spotted on the lower slopes of Mount Erebus. There were no survivors.
The crash killed all 257 people on board, making it the worst civil disaster in New Zealand's history. Forty-four victims were never identified during recovery operations.
At the time, New Zealand's population was just three million. As the BBC reported, “almost everyone was somehow connected to the Erebus disaster,” whether through knowing a victim, a rescuer, or being part of the long investigations that followed.
Lessons That Changed Aviation
Speaking to the BBC, Captain Andrew Ridling of the New Zealand Air Line Pilots Association said, “That same accident would not happen on a modern airliner.”
Today's aircraft rely on satellite-based navigation systems and advanced terrain awareness tools. A silent flight path change like the one that doomed TE901 would be nearly impossible.
Yet, the Mount Erebus disaster remains a reminder of how small errors, poor communication, and natural illusions can combine with devastating consequences.
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