Peter Mahon (judge)
| Peter Mahon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 November 1923 |
| Died | 11 August 1986 (aged 62) |
| Known for | His Commission of Inquiry into the crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901 |
Peter Thomas Mahon QC (1 November 1923 – 11 August 1986) was a New Zealand High Court Judge, best known for his Commission of Inquiry into the crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901 ("Mount Erebus disaster"). His son, Sam Mahon is a well-known artist.
Born in 1923, Mahon served in 2NZEF as a second lieutenant and spent approximately two years overseas, mostly in Italy.
Mahon began his legal career with the Raymond, Donnelly & Co. He was mentored by Sir Arthur Donnelly. Mahon was junior counsel for the prosecution in the Parker–Hulme murder case in 1954. At the commencement of the trial Mahon was assisting Alan Brown. Brown withdrew during the trial and was later admitted to Sunnyside Hospital.
After the crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901 with loss of all aboard on 28 November 1979, New Zealand's official accident report was released by the Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Ron Chippindale, which cited serious pilot error as the chief cause of the accident. Public demand led to the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the accident. Mahon produced his report on 27 April 1981, which cleared the crew of blame for the disaster and found that the major cause was the reprogramming of the aircraft's navigation computer without the crew being notified. Mahon controversially claimed that Air New Zealand executives engaged in a conspiracy to whitewash the inquiry, covering up evidence and lying to investigators, famously concluding that they had told "an orchestrated litany of lies". His book, Verdict on Erebus, an account of his inquiry, won the New Zealand Book Awards prize for non-fiction in 1985.
Mahon retired from the High Court bench in 1982.
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