Mount Erebus Disaster - The Shocking True Story of Air New Zealand Flight 901 | FD History

[@effkay3691]

Wonderful documentary. No sensationalism, no loud dramatic music, no over editing and repeating and above all no annoying overbearing narration. Heroic effort from these guys. Nobody should be obliged to see all that.

[@Chocobohunter]

Wow you’re hard to please

[@NocturnalNews]

I always find it hilarious a bunch of free loaders on KZbin expecting everything to be perfect and exactly the way they want it lol This is free TV bud maybe lower your standards a little bit you're that guy that complains about the free salad bar at the restaurant😂😂😂😂😂

[@mj6962]

True. The only thing I didn’t like was that sing during the part where they located the wreckage.

[@mj6962]

@@NocturnalNewsTRACY THEY WERE just GIVING THIS CHANNEL A COMPLIMENT! Don’t be a boob. Lol ❤😛

[@mj6962]

@@Chocobohunteryou must not know to accept a compliment. Only mean troll comments like you left.

[@chrismontgomery4204]

I know I'm just some arbitrary person that watched this but I was deeply affected by this documentary I just happened to stumble across. All the men involved in the recovery process are heroes. The tenacity these men showed, even when they were physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, enabled them to complete such a daunting task. Thank you for honoring all involved!

[@denisefelton5207]

Amen

[@charlesbritzman501]

AMEN

[@michaelwheatley3873]

I couldn’t say it any better. Well put together program; I’m glad that what these men did has been recognized.

[@astridvvv9662]

You are not some arbitrary person to me ❤

[@waynesworld7804]

Thanks. Saved me from commenting. 😢

[@jaisonrodabaugh8296]

My grandfather was stationed in Antarctica and was part of the crew that pulled out every last body and body part from this crash. He suffers from ptsd from it.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

This documentary moved me very much. I hope your grandfather was there to finally receive the recognition he deserves. Shocking how they were treated when they got back. Ignored and left on their own.

[@connorvincent4652]

I heard from another documentary that every individual who helped recover the bodies suffered from PTSD. Does anyone know if that’s true?

[@Its_a_kind_of_magic71]

Thanks to your Grandfather and the others for doing such a traumatic job. I’m not surprised if they all have ptsd 😢❤

[@admiralsnackbar69]

​@@connorvincent4652wouldn't at all be surprised.

[@jill8037]

God bless him and the others who helped. 🙏

[@larrypowers2515]

I served on three crash site recoveries while in the Air Force and can identify with everything these men experienced. Burned or rotting, human remains have a distinct indescribable odor, one you never forget, and the images of the bodies or parts of bodies haunt me to this day. You do have to dehumanize the process in order to get through it, because you have have a job to do: to get the remains home to their families, but dealing with it afterwards is hard. God bless these guys.

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

I had flashbacks and horribly vivid dreams after seeing event's like pedestrian vs double decker bus @ 55 mph

[@ray44f]

Good on you for doing this work, the families have to be most grateful for your help, Im sure it can’t be easy.

[@angelaberni8873]

I have scelti a person decomposing and it's horrific. No way to describe it and quite unique. Makes us who have smelt it realise that we are nothing. So much anger and evilness in the world and all for what? In the end we all rot away. These men are commendable ❤

[@spiritmatter1553]

Thank you for rendering a vital service to your country and humanity.

[@davidstavrosonassis3649]

Nature rewards those like you, always

[@emmyjj5612]

Thank you so much for making this available, at your own cost, to anyone willing to watch. It's an excellently done, moving documentary that, to the extent possible, and without sensationalizing anything, tries to convey the magnitude of a horrific event as experienced by the men on the frontline. Simply unfathomable.

[@MsMooselet]

To all of you on the mountain: I see and admire you. You did something almost inhuman. You had no training and were not prepared. To live in those conditions at the same time as that tragedy next to you. The sun that shines constantly. You truly are what heroes are made of. I commend you and thank you.

[@marissakeynes2532]

Absolutely. Hear hear. 👏👏👏

[@crazyralph6386]

Sad it took 27 years for these brave men to receive the recognition of their monumental efforts to bring peace to so many families around the world.

[@awuma]

There was serious corruption and cover-up involved. And it's unlikely that this tragedy will ever be investigated again given who rules in New Zealand now. I'm sure that many people have wanted this affair completely forgotten ever since it happened.

[@greg1mcintosh844]

Whoever put this documentary together did so with love and empathy creating a moving tribute to these heroes recovering the bodies and memorial to the 267 who perished and revealed the actual dominant cause of course, ultimately, corporate recklessness who of course, blamed the unsuspecting pilots who were innocent and sadly, in all too common fashion, the government and courts ultimately, officially sided with the airline but this film puts it right, just right. Shame on the airline and the government. Good on the hero recovery team and the makers of this tribute

[@michaelcarletti766]

The amount of courage and just resiliency is really something to admire. These men took their job very seriously even when it wasnt their normal jobs. Thanks to eveey single person that assisted on this

[@tidesendmanorhouse5495]

A brilliant documentary, those young men who went to recover all the bodies, are absolute heroes. Unbelievable amount of trauma they had to endure.

[@barbaracollins5605]

I do not understand why regular cops were assigned this. Someone, please explain. I'm from the states and this seems absurd. Why? Rescue mountaineers are assigned to rescue in the mountains

[@vspivey91]

I came to the comments to ask this same question..@@barbaracollins5605

[@niraku321]

Yea especially when it wasn't considered a crime scene.

[@fernandomarques5166]

​@@barbaracollins5605while Erebus is a tall mountain it's not "overly" tall at roughly 3800m (12500ft) and the plane crashed very low on the slope as they were flying in-between 1000ft (305m) and 3000ft (910m) before the impact, the wreckage lies only 1500ft (450m) above the sea level on the slope so I doesn't really warrants the use of mountaneering team, specially when a settlement/support base the size of McMurdo and Scot acessible is nearby by helo. I guess the thought cops might be able to either locate the body fragments better or cope better with the scene due to their crime experience? Personally I would've thought of firefighters before cops but I digress...

[@annrn6148]

​@@fernandomarques5166 I don't consider altitude to be the primary issue here. It's the hazardous conditions of the recovery work taking place on what is essentially a glacier & in arctic (Antarctica) conditions.

[@linibiography]

I lived in NZ when this happened, a young boy of 15 was working at the same place I was working. He lost both his parents on this flight. It turned a happy kid into a very distubed young man. It was very sad to see him change.

[@loretta_3843]

Oh that's awful. As I'm forever reminded, you'll never win the lottery but a ridiculous disaster like this has a great chance 😕

[@cchris874]

@@loretta_3843 But be thankful: not as much nowadays. Today, the risk among the 1st tier airlines is a tiny trickle compared to the 1970s.

[@mrkipling2201]

​@@cchris874I agree with you. The awful thing is that a lot of the safety measures are due to tombstone technology. That's what I find the saddest part. Along with a lot of the disasters in the 1970's and 1980's being caused by money taking precedence over safety. The amount of times that was the root cause of a disaster back then was appalling.

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

An old Kiwi mate here in Australia lost every adult in his family and he became an orphan. His mum, dad, auntie and granny.

[@johnstirling6597]

@@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg The 17 year old brother of my best mate was on the plane, he was gifted the trip by a friend of the family. I still think of the life never lived 44 years later.

[@carpo719]

The amount of time that goes into making these is amazing. It doesn't go unappreciated

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

thank you!

[@splitman1129]

This channel only uploads them to KZbin. Somehow gets past Copyright.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@splitman1129 dude. we purchase the licensing rights to each and every documentary in our library we don't produce ourselves. But hey, thanks for stopping by with such insightful comments.

[@keithlillis7962]

Just to inform you that most older KZbin documentaries are not made by the KZbin channel is question, but have previously been made by TV companies, which are then uploaded to YT. This is no exception and old BBC documentaries are often found on YT. The Falklands War documentaries are a good example of this fact.

[@thegoatmen7736]

is this a common or a competitive youtube creator category. just curious

[@emmyjj5612]

Thank you so much for making this available, at your own cost, to anyone willing to watch. It's an excellently done, moving documentary that, to the extent possible, tries to convey the magnitude of a horrific event as experienced by the men on the frontline. Simply unfathomable.

[@mj6962]

These men were/are heroes. They faced a job most people couldn’t do. They brought all of those deceased home to their families. They risked their own lives daily. Thank you to them and may we all recognize and appreciate their sacrifice. ❤

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

lovely comment and expresses my sentiments too. Thank you.

[@johnkean6852]

@@FreeDocumentaryHistory It was reported there were 217 recovered but 257 were on board allegedly. 49 missing?

[@FabricofTime]

​@@johnkean6852they recovered all the bodies, but 44 remained unidentified due to basically being badly damaged bits and pieces.

[@Woodman-Spare-that-tree]

Pointless to risk so many lives collecting remains that you are only going to send thousands of miles away to be cremated . Nature would have taken care of the bodies.

[@andyclohessy5840]

The pictures taken by the people on flight 901, just before it crashed and as it was actually crashing, are the most haunting things I've ever seen in regards to this disaster. Great documentary and thanks for uploading it. There's another very good one, made just after the crash, that focuses on the inquiry, as well as the actual events leading up to the crash and the crash itself.

[@Nomaaaaam]

I didn’t realize anyone was actually recording when it crashed.

[@mrkipling2201]

​​@@Nomaaaaamthere's pictures taken just before it crashed into Mt Erebus. It shows the window of the plane, and then just white through the window. I'm sure there's a very similar picture that shows something splattered on the outside of the window of the plane. In this documentary actually. 41:36

[@annaowens7053]

🎉wonderful men to take this job especially having no experience. I think you brave men did an excellent job recovering the bodies which was a horrid thing to deal with. All of you are HERO'S! God Bless you all and your families! Also all the familes that lost loved ones in that horrible plane crash! 🙏🙏

[@muffs55mercury61]

From what I understand there is more film footage that has been withheld from the public all these years.

[@pt4822]

Crash recovery work is never fun. I can still vividly remember the smell and body parts that I'd recovered, bagged and tagged. The memories never go away. Kudos to these guys.

[@mooboo4311]

you’re an unsung hero, thank you for your service to the victims and victim’s families of some of the worst tragedies at the cost of your own mental health. kudos to you as well!

[@constancewalsh3646]

In the hearts and minds of viewers I would say the pilots are completely without guilt. Most horrifying is those few seconds when the reality of their situation showed the inevitable - thankfully brief. The men who went to the mountain are courageous beyond belief. What beautiful beings men can be!

[@FourJaysFour]

The pilots were given WRONG coordinates which would have led them to crash into the mountain regardless. The airline covered this up for ages while blaming pilot error. Truly awful!!

[@johnwatt2748]

It's true Air New Zealand were wrong to lie about changing the DC10's computer's way point coordinates without telling the flight crew, but if the pilot had gone to full power and climbed steeply as soon as the Ground Proximity Warning started blaring, they would have been safe as proven by flight simulator reenactments.

[@valinormons]

@@johnwatt2748 It's easy in a flight simulator, but if everyone of those simulator pilots was on that flight, they would have been just as confused as the actual pilots were and would have been smashed into the volcano.

[@elsiemarina2572]

No words for those brave men. RIP all the victims.

[@hilarywallace3007]

I was a 23 year old in New Zealand when this happened. I remember the grief and the somber mood of everyone. There was such a common unity of sadness and disbelief in society. I had a friend whose Mum and Dad died on that flight.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

you set out on a fly over your experience seeing the Antarctic and its icy beauty and then you never come back.

[@karenhoward6712]

So sorry for her loss!! 😢

[@lionheart4552]

Documentary was a little boring though

[@giselefranca3182]

​@@lionheart4552Could you do it better?Show compassion instead!

[@fabiano8888]

​@@karenhoward6712 Okay, Karen.

[@greenwitch9836]

This is still a raw event. How the hell those executives weren't charged with manslaughter at a minimum. RIP all those who died, condolence to their family and friends and love to those who recovered the remains.

[@mrkipling2201]

Corporate manslaughter and corporate negligence. I absolutely agree with you.

[@BruceLee-fd7uw]

There was a reply, buy youtuber has deleted it

[@jamespppyacek342]

Yes. We want to know why they were given the wrong coordinates.

[@TheUrantia001]

All goes back to free masons..shell oil, corruption....rotten to the core. .

[@lisablack2389]

I just watched this documentary on November 28th, 2023, exactly 43 years after the accident of Air New Zealand flight 901. It left me shocked and completely numb because of how very graphic the images of the bodies are! Please remember and pray for all these innocent victims who died and for their families throughout the world. God bless them all.

[@barbaracollins5605]

Same.

[@reneesantiago6496]

Praying for people after death is non effective and has no effect. Prayers are for the living.

[@valiantsfelinesmccarty6678]

​@@reneesantiago6496sometimes when we're praying for the people we are praying for their family. That is what we really mean. The comment is rude and wasn't needed as people have a hard way of expressing their feelings in a situation like this and are simply usually repeating what they have heard which is pray for those who have died which we do. We pray that their souls are safe and comforted and not distressed after what they experienced in death and that they are at and the prayer extends to their family and all that loved them. You're slapping somebody for their expression of sympathy is simply you're being a troll.

[@judyives1832]

@@reneesantiago6496 “Prayers for the living” do no good either. So your sanctimonious comment is completely inappropriate. Prayer has been studied over and over and it works 50/50 or at no better than the rate of chance. And it’s much less effective than a placebo. So who cares when you do it? If a person is religious and praying make them feel better, then why is it anyone else’s business? After all if the pilots and crew were religious , I’m sure they were praying and that did no good. If there was a god and it cared, it could easily have had the plane clear the mountain instead of just watching it crash, killing hundreds of people. Since that never happens, who cares when or how someone else prays?

[@josieruiz3946]

God is the God of the living.. That's why it Is called an Accident. God does care ,we are Humans remember and we live in a high tech age, nothing last and nothing is perfect. Yes prayer works,God hears prayers of the saints his people that have gotten ready no matter what. Just be saved ,make sure of your salvation.

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

This remains the finest air disaster documentary to this day. The men who retrieved the bodies from the crash site of New Zealand Flight 901 on Mount Erebus may as well have been doing the recovery on the moon, for all the difficulty, stress and horror of it all, which they encountered and continue to relive to this very day in the form of PTSD. True heroes all.

[@5124ever]

Thank you for this. It is heartbreaking that it took so long to recognize such extraordinary people.

[@lornafarrelly7797]

This is an absolute stunning documentary. I thought I knew so much about this disaster already but this showed a whole other world of tragedy. Beautiful and touchingly portrayed.

[@jeremyfisher8782]

You guys are the best the WORLD has to offer. You have done HUMANITY PROUD. I hope everyone of you understands how special you are ... THANK YOU!

[@dead_or_alive2649]

We have examples upon examples of incidents where we’ve sent out the call for brave men to step up, overcome the obstacles, dangers and their fears to serve humanity. And they not only answered the calls putting their families on a back burner, but they accomplished great feats with courage dignity and strength. Paying the price later, most of them in silence. To these men and all of the others in the past, present and future... Thank you! We couldn’t have done it without you, we wouldn’t have the incredible world we have and so many owe you more than just a heartfelt appreciation.

[@adiakiyes6354]

I applaud the guy who chasing the birds this must be a heart breaking remembering their love ones and family. This guys are true hero in the eyes of new Zealanders and us. Thanks to FD, for filming this accidents, all actors are good.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

We didn’t do the filming. But we were lucky enough to get a good licensing deal.

[@NewZealandAmerican]

@@FreeDocumentaryHistoryTHANK YOU for doing that so more people can appreciate these heroes!!! CHEERS mate!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇳🇿

[@amydavis4945]

I'm so glad that these men finally received the recognition they deserved. I hope they continue to heal and with each passing day it all gets put a little further behind them.

[@denisewarner8287]

First of all, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all involved in the recovery of bodies at Mt Erebus. You did a grand job in extreme circumstances and had to endure so much awfulness, I cannot comprehend what you all went through. God Bless you one and all. Secondly, the re-enactment of the recovery was absolutely superb! The actors did a brilliant job. Thank you for the upload.

[@bonzig54]

One of the best documentaries I've seen in a long time.

[@Dilios_of_Sparta]

These guys are heroes. They worked through the most hellish and horrific conditions imaginable. Just . . . gruesome carnage . . . trying to reunite the remains of the deceased with their familes back home, and trying to find those all-important data recorders. Absolute unsung heroes. Thank you for doing the hard work that had to be done.

[@maggsbufton1969]

Holy heck; what a devastating airplane crash; I hope the people on the plane didn’t suffer long. Having been in a car crash and knocked completely unconscious, I hope they didn’t suffer. How devastating to be flown out to the scene of a horrific airplane crash and have to collect the bodies and discover why it happened; these men are true heroes and May God Bless them all. It’s usually the men who ALWAYS take on such horrifically devastating tasks and these days, no one seems to appreciate them for ALWAYS doing them. We need to appreciate our men and their strength of character more.

[@elizabethschreiner5151]

They didn't know what hit them. The compression wave would have traveled faster than the speed of sound, micro sec and basically, that's really what blasted the passenger compartment 1st knocking all to bits and then nano sec later impact. That's not enough time for the human brain to register sound or visual, even the autonomic nervous ... fight or flight instinct... I'm sure they would have chosen flight... Har dy Har har.. I'll show myself out

[@Nikalette100]

I so appreciate the men in the world who throughout history have done the tasks which only they can do because of their biological and physical strength. And then they have to keep a stiff upper lip. My mother was a New Zealander.

[@awuma]

@@elizabethschreiner5151 If the plane was flying at 404 km/h, that would be 112 metres/sec. Tfuselage was 55 metres in length. That means that unless the plane skidded, it would take half a second for the impact to consume the fuselage. Given the oblique angle between the aircraft's motion and the slope of the mountain, it took perhaps a second or two for the entire deceleration and disintegration to take place. I have seen a somewhat smaller aircraft (Nimrod, based on the Comet 4) crash into water, but that was pretty quick, perhaps a third of a second, with the fuselage exploding.

[@deborahdexter8571]

So glad this documentry exists. It's a time capsule for what these amazing people did and they deserve recognition and beyond 😢

[@jeffkiess]

This is one of the very finest and most sublime documentaries I have ever seen. Every aspect of it is outstanding. The attention to detail in recreating the crash site, the period items, and clothing is unprecedented. The imagery, music (and lack thereof at times), humane capturing of the men's accounts, and acting are all top tier. An incredible job by the producers and director to present this harrowing story.

[@aliciasnavely5109]

These men are the true definition of the word hero. They deserved so much better. Took almost two decades before they got any sort of recognition for the amazing things that they did. They all made the ultimate sacrifice, that stuck with them almost half of a lifetime later.

[@splitman1129]

I doubt they were volunteers.

[@Anton-tf9iw]

Who was responsible for sending these untrained men to a most extreme place on Earth? Second disaster in the making.

[@jamespppyacek342]

@@Anton-tf9iw / Right. Why send cops if not there to do an investigation?

[@jamespppyacek342]

1980-2007. 27 years.

[@jamespppyacek342]

@@longfade Did you even watch the video? These men needed recognition. Just because a thing is "their damned job" doesn't mean they are not affected.

[@Geronimo2Fly]

Phenomenal documentary. These men are the very definition of the word HERO. Thank you for telling us their story, and THANK YOU to those men for their bravery and dedication to helping the families who lost loved ones in that horrible tragedy. I know we can never understand what you went through, but we are eternally grateful for your sacrifice.

[@RITAD1]

I applaud these brave men's actions. They went somewhere most of us don't care to go. Unknowingly into an environment foreign to them. God bless every one of them.

[@karenhoward6712]

This has to be one of the best documentaries I have ever seen!! No words…..true heroes!!!!

[@timothyarcher7611]

These men should have been knighted, they have the respect and hearts of the world, returning these poor souls to their families, no would care that these boys drank the wine at the end of a life altering mission. Total and utter respect for the NZ police who attended 😢

[@angiecameron245]

This was excellent. These men are heroes for what they did for the families of those who perished on this flight.❤🙏

[@TheKayc136]

I was going to write exactly the same thing x

[@indi3066]

Wow, such tragic and uplifting story! Thank you for uploading it.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

thanks for watching!

[@geezus1201]

I want to say THANK YOU ALL WHO HELPED IN THIS RECOVERY OF PRECIOUS BODIES OF LOVED ONES. I’m from the United States and I commend you all for excellent work ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Adrishtrader04]

Only 3k views. I think this video deserves more than 30M views. This is a gem and a wholesome of this incident. There are really very less footprints of this incident. Most of the people don't know about this incident unlike MH370. Hats off to you guys.. Great job guys.💚💚💚

[@mmax92able]

i know right? I hope it gets lots more views. I really do

[@tiadaid]

@@steveallen648 This documentary was released in 2014, so you couldn't have watched it 20 years ago. Perhaps it was another documentary.

[@mrkipling2201]

Maybe it was MT Erebus-The Aftermath that you saw 20 years ago. Another great documentary on this terrible disaster.

[@deepseadirt1]

@@tiadaid it was probably the one from 1986, in that case that was a docudrama.

[@Adelicows]

"Only 3k views." Did you comment that the day they uploaded??

[@alglavic8475]

The amount of courage displayed in this documentary is just incredible. Shows humanity at it's best.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

yes, i do agree

[@783342]

Write it out guys. Write out everything in your memory, every single thing and keep writing over and over again. If you write until you have no feelings left about the matter, this helps to nullify the whole experience and later you won't have any response left in you. It's very healing. This is a great video.. Thank you so much for uploading.

[@swynty777]

I can't believe how well made this is

[@66holt]

can't even imagine what you guys went through , , bodies , birds trying to eat bodies , , the cold the extreems you were thrown into , , AMAZED by your resilience for what you faced and for what you all did

[@garyjohnson1466]

Wow, this brought back some memories I’d rather not remember, I was a communicator stationed at McMurdo, but out with a science party on the Ross ice shelf when this happened, I remember monitoring all the communications between those recovering the bodies and the Hueys with VXE-6 bring all those bodies on pallets to McMurdo, staging them for further transport to NZ, no one was allowed to go near those pallets, it was a horrible tragic accident, pilot error, as all aircraft comes under the control of McMurdo air traffic control, the pilot ask McMurdo air traffic control for permission to decend, when asked what his visibility was, the pilot stated he had good visibility, as was shown in the photos, in this heart ranching documentary, the air traffic controller who granted the pilot permission pretty much lost it after he realized what happened, he had to be medically evacuated, if the crash had occurred further up the mountainside on MT Erabus, it’s possible those victims might never had been recovered due to the fact that the halo were operating at their near maximum altitude capability. Anyways such tragedies, you never forget, I can only imagine what those involved recovering the bodies experienced, and those families who lost their love one, Antarctica does not forgive such human errors, Peace, this was a well produced documentary, thank you!

[@LindaTedd]

I think as someone who was living in NZ at the time of the crash (I had just returned from the UK) everybody knew somebody on the flight. My next door neighbour had a ticket bought for her by her family as a birthday present, one of the guys I worked with, his girlfriend was on the flight, and so on. The first enquiry was biased against the pilot and co-pilot to start off with, and Muldoon should have stayed out of it. Everybody involved in the initial enquiry seemed to have some relative who either worked for Air NZ or was related in some way - they should not have been let within a hundred yards of it,. Shameful cover up by both Air NZ, the PM and Air NZ management. The pilot's wife was pilloried for years, the only consolation she knew how careful he was in his notes and his planning (these notes that disappeared) but it must have been very hard on her and her family.

[@ronwilltap]

Bless all these men for what you did , recovering so many bodies. Unbelievable job that had to be done and you should feel so much pride at the challenge you faced. I am so glad you got some recognition for all you went through , bless you all .

[@mmax92able]

47:42 this documentary takes you by the hand. The words, the footage - it’s as if you were there. It just pierces your heart. 😢 Fantastic documentary. Doesn’t use the music to make it more dramatic. Just to underline the story. I know i wasn’t there and watching cannot in any way be compared to what these men went through but I do feel as if I understand them and the significance of such a catastrophe. We hear about so many catastrophes - you just tune out. I tuned in for this one and it was worth it. My deepest respect to those first responders and I’m so glad you are finally getting recognized.

[@missmee7210]

You are all heroes. Every single one of you. Thank you for all you gave to reunite these souls with their loved ones. ❤

[@Rulebraker420]

This deserves more recognition. great effort! Thank you for making this available!

[@deborahdarling1799]

My heart swells with the pride of the family of Officers & Servicemen just doing their job. People who are there on someone’s worst day doing the things that honours the hurt & fallen through decency. ~~A Blue Line family

[@martinmayfield1932]

Thank you for uploading this. What a sad but amazing situation. These men stepped up.

[@KylieMackLA]

Thank you for making this!!! I'm watching in 2024, but still remember the primary school assembly where one of our school's teachers Miss Copley spoke excitedly about the trip she was about to take. She was only 35 and on a teacher exchange from the UK. She was to fly in a DC10 to Antarctica - which to this 6yr old sounded like such a great adventure, the whole school was buzzing about it. When the crash occurred, I remember Mum being shocked and sad (she taught at school too), and there was a short speech about Miss Copley's plane going missing at assembly, but that's all I remember from that time. NZ's TV hours were limited back then, and it was also common to keep unpleasant conversations away from children, so except from what I've read recently, your documentary is the first where I've learned in depth info about the ordeal. Amazing work, RIP to those who who perished - and great work to those tasked with finding and bringing them home.

[@steveglossop]

I was 9 and in Mr Holt's class. I only remember Miss Copley by name and I recall being in the schoolyard when the news broke. I do have a few memories of the NZ exchange teacher who we had some lessons with. I believe her name was Miss McCaskill. As you have intimated for yourself, this documentary has provided in depth information that has really helped me understand the whole situation. It's a very melancholy experience. I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for the people involved in the recovery operation. It was really good to see your comment. Rest in peace Miss Copley and all the passengers on that flight.

[@SinaLaJuanaLewis]

Amazing documentary. Thank you to those who helped with the recovery❤

[@louisecassel2433]

Wow! That was difficult to watch. Those men have a special place in heaven waiting for them. On their way through the pearly gates, they will meet each of the souls they recovered. It will be a beautiful reception.

[@Impala_Lily]

Respect! Respect! Respect to the teams that risked their own lives and their sanity in the recovery of the crash victims!

[@peterscheer3295]

This story and how it was reported was immensely powerful and moving.. The men should have been given months of paid leave and group therapy for their selfless work. But did not. We did not that then and probably not enough now... trauma is real and these men sacrificed much for a noble cause.... I am grateful to them and to those that told this story.. many thanks 🙏🙏

[@KristaR1158]

Sooo grateful this story has been properly documented for history. Outstanding work from these men!

[@SP-io7lj]

Wow! What a brilliant documentary! We see these air crash investigations and we look at the work the NTSB does and we don't think about it. However, these guys weren't trained for that. They were just people, fellow human beings, tasked with the impossible. They did it and they did it without dying, but the PTSD from that must have been tremendous! No one is unaffected when seeing broken apart bodies of real people. Wow! This is just a great documentary!

[@chitoman011]

You guys are HERO's in SO Many ways. Thank you for bringing those families Closure, and for ALL you sacrificed and did on that mountain! I just watched this from the U.S. And am Proud of you guys! ...True HERO'S!

[@robertfalcon6083]

Really good doc!! I’d never heard of the accident. As a retired American military cop, it’s so hard to stop the images in the middle of the night. These guys are def hero’s! Thanks brothers for your service!

[@jonnewton5929]

This film has pulled me in so many different ways. The outright contempt of the airline to the emotional roller-coaster of the brave people who dealt with this tragic accident first-hand. My heart goes out to you all and your families. ❤

[@kymesmith]

Very moving and well done documentary. Perhaps the most sensitively and well made on a disaster that I've ever seen.

[@lindachambers6053]

Moving. I cried for the rescuers at the end. Incredible story. Beautifully done.

[@patriciakelly2714]

What an incredible achievement for Police who had no skills in mountaineering. I’m so very sad that all those people died and that there was a cover up. I’m very impressed and humbled by the fact that these brave men found all of the dead. It must have been a great contribution to the family who were grieving. I can’t imagine the horror you all experienced and not recognised for the physical and mental toll it had on you. I commend your bravery in such extreme circumstances. You all should feel soo proud and I hope you are all doing well. Thank you for sharing such an amazingly difficult sad experience. 😘

[@karenanddogs6645]

True heros during a traumatizing experience. They deserve all respect and honor for their work. I think also of the many first responders today all over our world in violence and natural disasters recoveries. God bless you for your work and in recovering from it. Thank you and much respect to you all. 🙏

[@kevinmalone3210]

I can't imagine the difficulty those men endured when recovering the bodies from the crash site, in those kind of weather conditions. That one guy said. I don't belong here, understandable because nobody belonged there. They had a job to do, and they did it. RIP to all the crash victims.

[@kirkpearce6441]

Plane disasters are always tragic and horrific. And these brave men risked their lives to recover the bodies in the most appalling and difficult conditions. What a fascinating and moving documentary. I have never heard of this plane disaster: how painful, tramautizing and hard it must have been for the families who lost their loved ones in such a horrific manner. God bless these brave policemen, God bless NZ. From Cape Town South Africa.

[@bgoldberg6802]

Im watching this documentary now. Tragedy of epic proportions. The bravery of the New Zealand police took my breath away. Getting the job done in the most horrific conditions. Harden men today. Passengers R.I.P. SA Cape Town

[@KenWAnderson]

Well gentlemen, please know now that through this documentary film we have the highest respect for you and pray for your continued physical, emotional and spiritual healing. In my case from Ringgold, Georgia, USA.

[@PalomaVita]

My heart goes out to all of you... And to the people who died tragically on Erebus. I thought I knew the story of this crash but I see now how wrong that story was. Thank for making such a thoughtful, moving and informative documentary.

[@fifiladu2659]

Unexpectedly well done documentary. The quiet tone and reality of it made it so much more impactful. It hurts my heart that the pilots names haven’t been cleared.

[@augustahoward9815]

As someone who was born in Canada and has lived in northern Minnesota since I was 4 (and I'm 60), I guess I never realized how many people have never learned how to survive in extreme cold, snow and ice. I give them a hell of a lot of credit for going to Antarctica with only minimal training. One of the first things you learn is how the cold takes your breath away and how hard any movement can make it more difficult to get around. You also do much better breathing through your nose to make sure it's warm air hitting your lungs. It's very much a learning curve.

[@aprilsmith3683]

You jumped "blind"... Good Lord... Absolutely astoundingly gutsy... My personal appreciation to each one of you for agreeing to take part in this documentary... An appalling scenario tackled by incredible human beings... The loved ones of the deceased have you to thank... You... Alone... My utter respect and admiration for you is immeasurable... 🇿🇦

[@gabe-po9yi]

Incredibly well done documentary. Nice mix of the real people and re-enactments. The high wind, blowing ice scene really gave you an idea what these guys faced when it would happen.

[@rachelmurray1228]

Thank you for this detailed intriguing film about the Erebus Mountain Disaster. In a previous film they said the new route was out with about twenty miles which was not updated on the new flying maps. The photography was so realistic and also sad to see.

[@jpmccree9953]

Respect to you all, from a member of the human race,thank you all,,, from Dublin Ireland ☘️🇮🇪💚🤍🧡🍀

[@mrkipling2201]

The only light hearted moment in the documentary was the bit where they got off the plane, dressed up for a blizzard, and the American bloke is in shirt sleeves!! One light hearted moment that was needed in a very solemn and heartbreaking documentary. Those blokes are bloody heroes. I'm surprised that they weren't given the odd sleeping pill, or some brandy, just so they could get some proper sleep for 5-6 hours. Especially with it never getting dark, the horrific sights that they were encountering and the conditions being terrible. The fact that the disaster was caused by someone changing the direction of the flight plan, without the knowledge of the crew flying the aircraft, makes it even worse. An avoidable and unnecessary disaster. No wonder the management of Air New Zealand didn’t want those details getting into the public domain.

[@jamespppyacek342]

Since the pages were gone, how did they know about the change in coordinates? This was not covered in the film.

[@mrkipling2201]

​@@jamespppyacek342it was discovered in the flight plan that was on a print out. Plus the policemen on Mt Erebus that are the subjects of this documentary film found Capt Collins ring binder intact, with no pages removed. They handed it in to the property inventory people and the next thing they knew, the pages had been removed. I watched another documentary about this disaster and it shows how the change in the flight plan was discovered.

[@Leslie_ann_h]

At about 1 hour 4 minutes mark shows this evidence

[@barryvincentredmond3973]

The coordinates being changed and not advised to the flight crew is why it all happened.And Air NZ tried to cover it up.Those missing pages from the pilots notebook were deliberately taken.The presiding judge got to the bottom of this and exposed 'The litany of lies' from Air NZ.

[@LadyLakeland]

Poor guy was probably too shocked to start getting dressed.

[@tashtatkat9045]

Very sad, but what a bunch of inspirational, brave and big hearted heroes. It is heartbreaking to see how this affected these men and how they were forgotten. 💜😔

[@patricialstamp3774]

You did an awesome job of making this documentary. You put a very human element to this history 😢

[@lynnoneill4294]

You beautiful humble men, I shed tears for your suffering. I was so glad to see you were recognised for the job you had been given. I wish you all love, peace & harmony as you live out the rest of your own lives. ❤

[@clintreid287]

That was a well directed documentary. True hero’s doing a job with compassion to the recovery of the victims and return them back home. RIP

[@radjaroszynski4352]

Absolutely heartbreaking and heart warming at the same time. All those rescuers are beyond human to tackle such a great task. Well done and God bless everyone involved 🙏

[@cgustaff4807]

Well done and shot. Building the unbelievable drama that was for them to go through with it. Effective and touching. The human condition to the highest.

[@jodyknight]

What an incredible documentary. This was so well done, and is a great example of truly outstanding documentary filmmaking. This film had me totally engrossed by its careful use of storytelling and its considerate way of allowing the brave men who were there to tell their own story, in their own words, and at their own pace. These heroic men had to deal with something so devastating, and had no thanks or support until many years had past. Thank goodness they finally honoured their efforts and sacrifice by gracing their chests with medals. It's the least they can do for leaving these poor men scarred by their service, unsupported and alone.

[@pia7187]

I have no words for the gratitude and respect I feel towards these men and all who participated in this effort. The true heroes in this world often go unrecognized, but I am glad they have received some measure of reward for all they sacrificed. For those killed in this horror: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.

[@mussawar3698]

I can't stop my tears. Great job you all my brothers lot's of love and respect from India.I appreciate you all.

[@DouglasVishalBrook]

Whoever Directed and Produced the re-enactments did an incredible job - the Production Design, costumes are so accurate it looks totally authentic. The Tents and the crash site looks exactly like the pics - they must had had a big budget - on location on some mountain and building giant set pieces like the Aircraft tail. Much higher quality than Air Crash investigation. Great casting and acting too - wow!

[@MrsCatacla]

The wives. Great documentary. Great work of the rescue team. My thoughts go out to everybody (directly or indirectly) involved in the accident. YÖU ARE TRUELY HEROS - all of you. Especially i feel for the wives of the men of the rescue team. Making a documentary about Trauma, PTSD and the impact this has on the entire family (out of the perspective of the wives) would be so incredibly interesting. Wife of the rescue man, you tried to recue your man, your family, your marriage, your children, and you - no matter wheater you succeeded or not - are a victim and a hero too.

[@judithcampbell1705]

A very touching 💙 documentary. These gentlemen did an excellent job and showed so much respect for recovering all the bodies. They've got grit! Such a sad thing to have to do. They did it for the families of the lost. Thank you 💛 and may God bless all of them.

[@dat.boi.wilden]

being born in southern Canada, I am 20 min. into this documentary and wonder what would ever possess anyone sending these guys into such an environment as this not conditioned at all!!!!!!!!!!!

[@bev9708]

Phenomenal story and phenomenally well told in such a moving and powerful way! I pray that this wonderful documentary also brings these heroic gentlemen peace along with all the other heroic NZ Police, US Servicemen and Mountaineers/Volunteers who risked their own physical and mental wellbeing to recover those bodies. We salute you!!

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

well said - thank you!

[@donwilsmore3945]

Wow !…one of the most moving and sad Documentaries I’ve ever seen …bless you all ,for the dignity you gave to the victims and the relatives of this terrible disaster 🙏

[@johnkean6852]

Yes l cried for the victims and this rescue team.

[@scarlettg6136]

Those men on the mountain were heroes that suffered a lifetime of emotional damage that was irrevocable. Many lives were lost and many more were terribly affected. God bless them all.❤❤

[@winifredjanevowler8360]

Such courageous men!!! How anyone could be expected to do this is beyond imagination. Heartbreaking for all of them😢

[@sharoncassell5273]

What a feat to blindly go and climb to do a task almost unfathomable. Bless you all with such guts & stamina.

[@avengernemesis7990]

I never forget the judges remark.. A litany of lies on behalf of Air New Zealand.. We lost 2 friends in this disaster..

[@spiritmatter1553]

I’m sorry for the tragic loss of your two friends.

[@me45231.]

I too lost a relative in this disaster I'm so sorry for your loss ❤️