Pilot's name still on line, says widow

Jim Collins' widow Maria (left) sits with Tonci Farac - whose partner, air hostess Sue Marinovic, was killed on Erebus - and her daughters (from left) Kathryn Carter, Phillipa Collins and Elizabeth Collins. Photo / Sarah Ivey

The integrity of the pilot who captained the Mt Erebus flight 30 years ago is still very much on the line, his wife says.

Maria Collins says Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe's apology was to the families of those who lost loved ones in the Erebus tragedy, but it did not address the damage done to her husband's reputation.

Jim Collins was originally blamed for causing the crash in which 257 people lost their lives while on an Air New Zealand DC-10 sightseeing trip to Antarctica.

However, a subsequent royal commission of inquiry led by Justice Peter Mahon disagreed.

The inquiry placed the blame on Air New Zealand and its systems.

Justice Mahon accused company executives and management of "an orchestrated litany of lies" in covering up evidence and misleading crash investigators.

Yesterday, a sculpture titled Momentum was unveiled at Air New Zealand's headquarters in Auckland.

After the ceremony, Mrs Collins said an "acknowledgment and acceptance" of her husband's true role in the crash had to come from Air New Zealand of its own accord.

"I'm not going to say I expect you to say to me, 'This, this and this'. I have my private hopes but an apology forced from someone else is not a true apology. It has to be sincerely given," Mrs Collins said.

She said life went on but she was pleased to continue talking about the tragedy.

"My husband's integrity is still very much on the line and I'm still keen to see that intact again."

Mrs Collins said the company wanted to start "a new culture of hope" and it had shown that in the way it dealt with last November's Perpignan crash, in which two German pilots and five New Zealanders were killed.

In his speech, Mr Fyfe said he had been in constant contact with the families who had lost loved ones in the crash in France.

He also acknowledged that the airline had "undoubtedly let down" the families of those who lost loved ones in the Erebus crash in 1979.

"Air New Zealand inevitably made mistakes and undoubtedly let down people directly affected by the tragedy," Mr Fyfe said.

"I can't turn the clock back, I can't undo what has been done but as I look forward I'd like to start the next step of that journey by saying sorry.

"Sorry to all of those who suffered the loss of a loved one or were affected by the Erebus tragedy and did not receive the support and compassion that they should have from Air New Zealand."

Prime Minister John Key said the Erebus tragedy brought "shock, disbelief and mourning to our country".

He said he was 18 at the time of the crash and everyone "knew someone who knew someone who was on board. We cannot bring them back but we can honour these brave and true people and we can learn from our past."

Bryan Madgwick, whose mother, retired schoolteacher Eudora Madgwick, died on Erebus, said the airline's apology helped him to overcome his loss and move on.

He said his mother was one of the 26 victims whose bodies could not be identified, but the airline put on a special service for their families.

"What more could they do?"

He said the families of overseas passengers had received a lot of money, while his father got very little.

Mr Madgwick said he would return to the sculpture to reflect on the crash and remember his mother.

The sculpture, by Christchurch artist Phil Price, was blessed by Archdeacon Peter Beck from Christchurch Cathedral.

A plaque describes it as "capturing the magic of flight". While it does not mention Erebus, it says the memorial "is a constant reminder of the fragile nature of flight and the dynamic forces at play".