Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford The Sightseeing Flight and the Invisible Mountain
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Mar 27, 2026 A sightseeing flight over Antarctica disappears into a deadly visual illusion that hides a mountain. Investigators wrestle with missing documents, conflicting briefings, and corporate denial. An inquiry flips initial blame and exposes organizational failures, legal fights, and a long-delayed apology.
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Sightseeing Flight That Vanished Into A Volcano
- Air New Zealand Flight 901 was a festive sightseeing flight to Antarctica that instead hit Mount Erebus killing 257 people.
- Wreckage and passengers' diaries showed clear weather below clouds and Collins' ring binder was sealed and later recovered at the site.
Hidden Waypoint Change Put Plane Over Erebus
- A waypoint change put the stored flight path directly over Mount Erebus without the pilots knowing, creating a lethal mismatch between expectation and reality.
- Pilots had been briefed and plotted a route down McMurdo Sound, then received different coordinates the morning of the flight.
Missing Briefing Notes And Shredded Documents
- Crucial briefing notes disappeared: Collins' ring binder pages were removed after being found, and the first officer's notes went missing after someone from the airline collected them.
- The CEO ordered documents gathered and surplus papers shredded, raising suspicion about cover‑up.