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The wreckage at Mt Erebus - Source: NZ Police
Joining the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Squad:
Inspector Stuart Leighton
I joined the New Zealand Police in January 1975 as a 17-year-old
Police Cadet. I graduated 19 months later and was posted to the
Lower Hutt Police Station.
One day in late 1978, my sergeant read out a report at fall-in
asking for any volunteers to join a newly-developed Disaster Victim
Identification (DVI) Squad.
They were looking for a sergeant and a constable based in the Hutt.
The rationale behind the squad, as I understood it, was to be
prepared for a major disaster like an earthquake in Wellington.
They wanted a core of trained personnel in teams of two to be ready
to respond.
"Why not?" I thought. If an earthquake hits Wellington I'm going to
be involved anyway, I might as well be trained. So up went my
hand.
In March 1979 I was at the Police College in Trentham on the very
first DVI training course. The course was developed by Chief
Inspector Ian Mills and Inspector Robert (Bob) Mitchell. I was by
far the youngest member.
The purpose of the course was to train us in most up-to-date DVI
techniques. The combined wisdom and experience of the course
members also helped refine the techniques for the NZ
environment.
At the time, only two other police agencies in the world had
trained DVI squads, the FBI in the United States and the New South
Wales Police in Australia.
Arrival on the ice
I can remember feeling apprehensive when we were due to land on
the ice. We had flown over Mt Erebus and past the crash site.
Although I looked out the window I couldn't see it. None of us had
any idea what to expect on landing.
We put on all our clothing and looked like Eskimos when we walked
off the plane. I thought there would be blizzard type conditions
and we would need to be wearing all the issued clothing. Instead,
we all felt over dressed. We were met by a Commander from the
American Navy in a big van. By comparison he was wearing quite
light clothing without a jacket. He drove us to an accommodation
block at the American base at McMurdo where we had bunk beds with
just mattresses and nothing else.
At that time of year, there's continuous daylight in the Antarctic.
We spent the next three days at the American base before we were
due to go to the crash site.
It's a bit hard to remember exactly the order in which events
occurred. However, I do remember early on that a meeting was called
for all personnel going to be involved in the recovery. We were
welcomed by the base commander. Then our Officer in Charge,
Inspector Mitchell - who had developed our procedures and delivered
our earlier training - gave us a briefing on our roles.
I was told I would remain at the crash site base camp to establish
and maintain radio communication with McMurdo. I was also tasked to
basically be a logistics officer and give support where needed to
assist with the smooth running of the camp, including cooking
duties.
I wasn't very impressed. I felt it was a safe role and I'd been
excluded from the real job of recovering bodies. After all, that
was the reason we were here. I knew deep down I'd probably been
selected for this role because of my age. I was 22 at the time. I
felt it was an attempt to protect me to some extent. Instead of
being grateful, I was quite resentful inside but said nothing. I
couldn't say anything as it was a job that needed to be done and
someone had to do it. When on a police operation you just get on
with what you're told to do.
My duties included going through all our equipment to make sure it
was all present and in working order. Our equipment was contained
in suitcases. No one ever anticipated we would need to bring them
to the Antarctic. They were totally impractical for the task. As a
result of this lesson, DVI equipment is now contained in back
packs. I was kept busy checking our equipment for awhile. It also
gave us the opportunity to train the Auckland and Christchurch
Officers as well as the American photographers assigned to us in
the DVI procedures.
During this time you could feel the tension building. We were
getting feedback from the crash site but we still had preparation
to do before we were ready to see what confronted us.
We all had to go through a short course in snow survival before we
were considered fit to go to the crash site. As I'd never been in
the snow before I obviously didn't have the skills required to look
after myself. That really made me worried, so it was good to at
least acquire some knowledge.
We were taken from Scott Base to their skiing area in a snow
tractor. We then walked for some distance and ascended some quite
steep snow slopes. I found some of this difficult as it involved
walking up pure ice in parts. It was like trying to walk up
glass.
We were then shown how to use an ice axe properly, including how to
stop your slide down a steep slope if you fell over. I found this
quite a challenge. It involved lying on your back while someone
held your feet. They then lowered you over a steep cliff and let
you go. You had to roll over and use your axe to dig into the snow
to stop your slide. Quite scary, but I enjoyed it& when it was
over.
My feelings at this point, as far as I can recall, were of taking
one day at a time. I'd put the thought of the crash site out of my
mind as best I could and just concentrated on the job at hand. I
felt I didn't want to fail any part of the operation. I had a
strong desire to succeed and be as good as any of the others. I
felt my age was a big factor in all this as the others were all
that little bit older and experienced.
Tension grew during this phase as some voiced their concerns that
we shouldn't be there. We didn't have the necessary training and
background to deal with the conditions. In short, they were voicing
their apprehensions. I had similar thoughts but found it unsettling
to hear them voiced aloud.
On a lighter note, while waiting to go on the ice, the personnel at
McMurdo and Scott Base had their annual Scott Hut race. This
involved a race of two laps around McMurdo Base, running out onto
Scott Point past Captain Scott's Hut and back to the top of the
road on the other side of the base which was half way to New
Zealand's Scott Base. I think the total distance was about 5
km.
Police were invited to enter a number of teams. We didn't do too
bad considering the temperature was about -7 degrees. After a short
time running my lungs hurt badly from sucking in the cold air. By
the time the race was over I was breathing through my balaclava to
try and warm the air. It was much harder than I thought but it at
least help pass time before we were required to go to the crash
site.
The crash site
I can't really remember what I felt when I walked to the
helicopter on the way to the crash site. I was in the first
helicopter taking the first police party. With me were Inspector
Mitchell and Sergeant Greg Gilpin who had been appointed on site
co-coordinator. I can remember enjoying the view from the
helicopter and getting my camera out and taking a few
pictures as we neared the crash site. We flew over and around it a
few times. It all looked so big yet you couldn't really see any
detail.
When we approached the site there was nowhere for us to land as the
landing pad hadn't been built. We came in very slowly, hovered
above the ground and then had to jump out. I was the first one out
and it was quite a hop before we reached firm ground.
At that stage my duties were as briefed. The camp site was still
quite small with only a few tents erected. I can remember thinking
the camp site was very close to the wreckage.
I then got my first opportunity to have a look around the wreckage.
I walked the whole length and width with Inspector Mitchell and
Sergeant Gilpin.
One of the mountaineers was with us, taking photographs to send
back to headquarters in Wellington. I can remember feeling quite
stunned and stood back from the other two. They had to get me to
come closer to them while the photos were taken. I can't recall
what the first body looked like but it's fair to say I felt quite
upset. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.
My senses were overloaded. There was the sight of all the bodies
and the wreckage of an Air New Zealand plane. This was accompanied
by an overpowering smell of kerosene. I just need to get a whiff of
it now and I'm instantly back on the mountain side.
I'd been preparing myself mentally for it, but no matter how much I
tried I couldn't help feeling like being physically sick when I
stood in the middle of the wreckage and saw what it was really
like. I thought, "How the hell are we going to deal with this?" I
realised nothing could have prepared us for this devastation.
Shortly after the walk around of the site Inspector Mitchell told
me I would now be required to take my place on one of the DVI
teams. One of the mountaineers would take over my original role at
the site. I actually felt quite apprehensive but pleased with this
change. I would be carrying my fair share of the load with everyone
else.
At this point we returned to the camp site. Inspector Mitchell
departed and I was directed to my tent where I put my bag and
sleeping bag. None of the others had arrived due to the weather. It
was about this time we realised there would be no more flights into
the crash site for the foreseeable future as the weather had
deteriorated.
I found sleep very difficult. Shortly after I got inside the tent a
storm hit. I have never experienced any thing like it in my life.
The tent was, after all, sitting on the side of an active volcano.
The temperature was at least -40 degrees with the wind chill
factor. We were being hit with very strong winds which felt like
they could blow the tent away.
From the information at our induction, these storms could last for
up to a couple of weeks. I knew all our food supplies hadn't
arrived and when the weather was like this no flights could get in.
Indeed, it could be fine at the crash site but the weather at
McMurdo could be bad and the helicopters might not be able to take
off. Either way it meant we would be stranded.
My thoughts at that time were on survival. I kept thinking, "What
if?" "What if we get stranded here and run out of food?" It was no
game. We were in a real survival situation.
Having those thoughts in the tent during the storm was perhaps the
lowest part of the operation for me. Here I was on the side of Mt.
Erebus which in the Antarctic. I'm in the middle of a storm
buffeting the tent very strongly which could potentially last for
weeks and there was a plane load of bodies just a stone's throw
away. I thought, "What the hell are we are doing here?" All I
wanted to do was go home. I also learned after this to make sure I
put my boots into my sleeping bag as they had frozen solid. It took
considerable time and effort to get them to a point I could wear
them again.
After the storm abated I helped one of the mountaineers level off
sites so more tents could be erected. I also helped one of them
build the snow toilet. This involved heaping snow into a big pile
bags and then compacting it. You then hollow out the middle by
removing the bags and carve it into the shape you want. Very simple
but the end result was a functional but very cold toilet when you
had to sit on it!
Shortly after, some of the other teams arrived. The majority
decided to get some sleep, but I couldn't. I had to do something. I
don't know why. I just had to. As it was my first real experience
in the snow I decided I'd build a wall using snow bricks - similar
to how an Eskimo would build an igloo. I kept myself busy doing
this for awhile but eventually the noise I was making started to
annoy some of the others. My boots made a crunching noise every
time I walked. The tension levels were high and I was told in no
uncertain terms to get into my tent and stop disturbing everyone. I
took the hint.
The day of the crash
On the day of the crash I was with the other Wellington based
DVI teams at Police National Headquarters. The purpose of the visit
to HQ was to have a look at the amended DVI procedures. They had
been adapted after feedback from the recent course at the College,
and as a result of feedback from a recent DC-10 crash in Chicago.
There would have been about 12 people at the meeting.
At the end of the meeting, about lunch time, I returned to the
Lower Hutt Police Station with my sergeant and a very experienced
senior constable.
As we were driving back towards the Hutt at about 1.00pm and near
the Petone rail bridge the senior constable said. "You know, I have
been in the police for over 25 years and we have never had to use
these procedures, and we never will". I later worked out it was
about this time the aircraft actually crashed.
Because of its irony, the memory is burned into my mind. I often
think about it.
After duty that day I had a date with my girlfriend (now my wife).
I remember riding my motorbike to her house, as we had a date to go
to the local pictures. At tea time her brother, who worked for
Telecom, phoned up. He said Telecom was monitoring radio waves and
had learned an Air New Zealand DC-10 was overdue on a flight to
Antarctica.
I can remember saying "Oh god, if it's crashed they will probably
use me on the body recovery. I might have to use my new skills and
the new police procedures to recover the bodies." I never really
thought it would come true. At that stage it wasn't public
knowledge and there was still hope it was OK.
We got back to her parents at about 10.30pm and, of course, it was
all over the TV. The plane was still overdue and, in fact, was down
as the fuel reserves were used up. I can remember feeling very
nervous and a bit upset as I remembered my previous comments as
well as the comments made by the senior constable that
afternoon.
I returned home to my flat which I shared with my younger brother
and another police officer who was working night shift that night.
I can remember being woken at about 1.30am by a phone call from my
flat mate. He informed me the wreckage had been located in
Antarctica and headquarters in Wellington had rung the station
wanting my home phone number. It was obvious I was at least being
considered to be sent to the ice. The police operation to recover
and identify the bodies has been called "Operation Overdue"
I felt very uneasy and found it difficult to get to sleep. I didn't
really think I would actually go. [I thought that way right up to
the time the plane taking us to the ice physically left
Christchurch].
Apprehension at this point was mixed with a certain amount of
excitement. The details were still unknown and I guess one of the
reasons I didn't sleep very well was that I was waiting for the
phone call placing me on standby.
The day of departure
I was beginning to think I wouldn't get the call up. When I wasn't
called that night I actually felt disappointed. The call, when it
did come, was short and to the point. I was told wreckage had been
located and I was being placed on standby. I was to pack clothing
suitable to go to Antarctica.
At that point I didn't know what to think. What do you pack to take
to Antarctica? I didn't have much bush clothing and I'd never been
in snow before. Early the next morning my brother rang around and
borrowed some clothing for me. I also rang home to advise my
parents I was on standby. My dad was pretty good about it, or so he
seemed, but my mother was upset. I did my best to reassure them
both but there wasn't much they could do about it.
At that time my thoughts about the ice and crash site - which was
on the side of a mountain - were of wind and snow blowing about,
and that we would be climbing rock faces, tied together with rope
recovering bodies. This picture was built up by my imagination
based on my general lack of knowledge and by listening to the radio
and hearing 'experts' speculating.
As I'd never been in snow and ice before, I was worried about not
having the mountaineering skills to climb the mountain - as I
thought we'd have to. Yet I felt important for being placed on
standby. All through this, I doubted I'd be selected.
The rest of the morning was spent packing my clothes and waiting
around listening to the radio and watching TV. Of course, 100% of
the content was Erebus related. As time went by and I didn't hear
any more I thought, "That's it, we won't be going". The operation
might be off.
At about midday the call came confirming I was going. I was told I
had to be at Wellington airport for a departure within the hour and
I'd be picked up in 15 minutes.
I only had time to phone by brother at work and my parents. I
remember my dad answering the phone. As soon as he heard my voice
he said, "You're going aren't you?" I simply replied, "Yes, tell
mum. I can't wait, I have to go." I also reassured him they
wouldn't place us in any danger and I would contact him as soon as
I could. I didn't have any more time. Things were happening so fast
and my ride was due to arrive any minute.
I was driven to the airport and met the rest of the guys who were
going down. I knew most of the police personnel from Wellington,
but there were police officers from Auckland and I didn't know any
of them. They were all search & rescue trained and knew nothing
of DVI. We were all quite apprehensive about what lay ahead.
At this point we knew accommodation was a problem on the ice, and
some of us would be left behind. I felt sure I'd be one of the ones
remaining at home.
Not withstanding that, we flew to Christchurch to the Antarctic
Division of the DSIR to be fitted out in the required clothing. Two
other police officers with alpine search and rescue experience also
joined us there. That brought the total number of police personnel
to 11. The decision was made about who would be left behind. No
police were left behind, but some mountaineers were.
Before we knew it, we were on an RNZAF C-130 hercules headed for
the ice. The flight was scheduled to take 8 hours and we departed
Christchurch at about 5.00pm.
The flight was different to any I'd taken before. The plane was
full of cargo pellets and equipment. We had to find a place to sit
at the front on webbing seats that ran along the side of the plane.
It was cold and very noisy and we had to put ear plugs in.
Conversation was difficult.
The flight over the Antarctic was really quite beautiful. It was
also strange taking off in the evening to then fly into
daylight.
For more information visit the
NZALPA Erebus website
