Smoke on the Slopes A Digital narrative By Holly Marx
Transcript
Slide 1
Slide 2
Smoke on the Slopes A Digital narrative By Holly Marx
Slide 3
I am Elaine Marx, I was not on the plane that crashed into Mt
Erebus, but I am the daughter of these two people William and Iris
Clark and they did die in the crash.
Slide 4
On the 28 November 1979, at 6a.m. mum and dad left home for the
Auckland Airport to catch the Air New Zealand Flight that took 237
passengers for a sightseeing flight to Antarctica. They were so
excited to finally be going after four years of trying to get
tickets, for the 11 hour flight seeing one of the last untamed
areas in the world. The plane had to do a refuelling stop in
Christchurch on the way.
Slide 5
At 12.49 p.m. the aircraft crashed into the lower slopes of Mt
Erebus killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board, because of
the white out conditions the pilot couldnt see Mt Erebus in front
of him and by the time the warning system went off it was too
late.
Slide 6
The last transmission from the aircraft was to Mac Centre, (the
United States Air Force communications base at McMurdo), had the
aircraft dropping to 610 metres (2,000 feet). Had the plane been
following the original flight plan?
Slide 7
At 10 p.m., about half an hour after the last drop of fuel on
the aircraft would have been used, reporters were told, the
aircraft must be lost. This news report interrupted the T.V.
programme I was watching to say that the plane must be lost. It is
assumed that it must be down somewhere, I sat waiting for more news
of what might of happened they said police had set out to find the
aircraft.
Slide 8
At about 2a.m. a news report came over the T.V. to say wreckage
had been found and no survivors could be seen. I was devastated. I
tried to get to sleep not knowing whether they were dead or
alive.
Slide 9
Over the coming days the police contacted me to ask for photos,
clothing they had been wearing, scars they may have had on their
bodies, jewellery they may have been wearing and anything else that
may identify them. My mother was finally identified in the middle
of February she was one of the last to be identified by her rings,
my father was never identified so I still wonder if he is one of
the victims buried in the mass grave at Waikemute cemetery or
whether he is still on Mt Erebus.
Slide 10
Later in the year while I was listening to radio they were
saying the plane crashed because of a mix up in the planes
coordinates. There was a commission of enquiry into the disaster
and the above was the main reason for the crash.
Slide 11
I was very lucky to have been one of the descendants chosen to
return to Antarctica for a memorial service held at Scott Base this
year to be able to see where the accident happened.
Slide 12
Bibliography: http://www.nzterritory.com/disasters/erebus.html
http://www.nzterritory.com/disasters/erebus.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Cause_of_Mount_Erebus_ Plane_Crash Thanks
to my nana Elaine Marx who told me her perspective of the
crash.