AMAZING photos show the final moments of 257 passengers and crew before their plane tragically crashed head-on into the side of a volcano.
Air New Zealand had been offering spectacular views of Antarctica on its sightseeing tours in the late 1970s until one of its planes flew directly into Mount Erebus on Ross Island.
10
10
10
10
Flight 901 was in the middle of its 11-hour non-stop round trip from Auckland on November 28, 1979, when horror struck, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board.
The plane’s pilot, Captain Jim Collins, had made two big loops through the clouds to lower the plane to about 2,000 feet and give his passengers a better view of their surroundings.
Assuming it was on the same flight path as previous flights and over the vast McMurdo Strait, I wouldn’t have anticipated any problems.
But instead of ice and snow in the distance, the cabin had been looking directly at the mountain in front of them.
Shortly before 1 p.m., the plane’s proximity alarms went off and just six seconds later, with no time to stop, the plane crashed directly into the side of Mount Erebus.
Moments before their unforeseen deaths, the passengers had been busy taking photographs or filming in the cabin and out the windows.
Many of these photographs were later found in the rubble and could still be developed; some of them were taken just seconds before the accident.
The most disturbing photo of the lot is believed to have been taken at the moment of impact, where a fluid of some nature, believed to be combustible, covers one of the windows.
Other images show passengers inside the plane, many of them from their seats chatting and looking out the windows.
A man in glasses and a colorful top appears to walk out of the hallway, while a young woman in sunglasses and a white top holds up her camera.
A fourth image captures the snow and ice-covered Antarctic surface from beneath one of the plane’s wings.
These are the last images of ANZ 901 shortly before it crashed into Mount Erebus in what is considered New Zealand’s worst peacetime disaster.
It wasn’t until hours later, when search and rescue operations were dispatched after the plane failed to return, that the worst fears were realized.
The wreckage of the plane was spotted on the lower slopes of the volcano, with no signs of survivors.
Images taken at the scene show parts of the plane scattered across the ground in Antarctica.
The wreckage still remains today, partially covered in snow, acting as a silent tribute to the flight of a lifetime that ended in tragedy.
One theory behind the crash is that the pilots were told a different flight path than the one entered into the plane’s computer.
Another is how a weather phenomenon known as a blackout, where light between the white snow or ice below and the clouds above created an illusion of clear visibility, sealed the plane’s fate.
This theory is supported by a transcript recovered from the black box recorder which revealed that the crew had no experience with the harsh climatic conditions of the continent.
One of the captain’s last statements was: “The truth is that these conditions don’t look good at all, right?”
Since then, Ross Island has seen several memorial events organized by the families of the victims.
A cross and a koru (a coiled stone fern) have been placed near the accident site.
Mount Erebus had already baffled scientists after it was found to spew out £5,000 of gold each day despite being covered in ice.
Between columns of gas, steam and rock bombs, the highest volcano in the world emits small specks of crystallized gold.
10
10
10
10
10
10