"In my opinion this explanation that the change in the waypoint was
thought to be minimal in terms of distance is a concocted story
designed to explain away the fundamental mistake, made by someone,
in failing to ensure that Captain Collins was notified that his
aircraft was now programmed to fly on a collision course with Mt.
Erebus."

That finding is one of those directly challenged in the present
proceedings.


Advice of the Change

A different matter was considered by the Commissioner in relation to the
change made in November 1979 to move the waypoint back to the TACAN at
Williams Field. As usual a signal was sent to the United States base at
McMurdo with advice that the aircraft was to fly to the Antarctic on
28th November and the flight plan for the journey. And in the list of
waypoints appears the word "McMurdo" in lieu of the geographical
co-ordinates which had appeared in the equivalent signal for the flight
three weeks earlier. The message had been prepared by Mr Brown, one of
the four officers in the navigation section.

The use of the word "McMurdo" was the subject of an idea put by the
Commissioner to Mr Hewitt, who was the second of the witnesses from the
navigation section. The Commissioner asked:

"I know you have explained to me how that happened but someone may
suggest to me before the enquiry is over that the object was to