folded inside the front cover". The question arose as to what had
happened, to the balance of the contents of the notebook. Captain
Crosbie himself was called by counsel for the Airline Pilots Association
to give evidence before the Commission. He explained that his
involvement in all post-accident matters was as a welfare officer for
the association; and in that capacity he had been given by the police
personal property for distribution to next-of-kin. When asked about
pages which normally would have been within the ring-binder covers he
said that most of the recovered items had been damaged considerably by
water and kerosene, and in answer to the Commissioner, who had asked
"How could the ring-binder cover itself be intact and yet the pad of
writing paper disappear?", he said, "I suggest the cover survived the
water and kerosene but the paper contents didn't". He added in answer to
questions by counsel--

"If papers were removed from the ring binder who would have done
that.... I would have myself I presume.

Do you recall doing that.... No not specifically. I was involved in
destroying a lot of papers that were damaged and would have caused
distress some because of that and some because it was the obvious
thing to do."

As a further sample of the kind of material that might have been
provided by the criticized officers had they been given the opportunity
we were referred to a signed statement by Captain Crosbie forwarded to
the police (who by then were investigating the allegations of
conspiracy) on 5th May 1981. In the statement he has said after he had
given evidence before the Inquiry he recalled that because of the poor
condition of the notebook and severely damaged paper inside it and