Peter Mahon (lawyer)
Encyclopedia
Peter Thomas Mahon QC
(1923–1986) 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.
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
.
, which cited pilot error
as the chief cause of the accident. Public demand led to the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the accident, consisting solely of Mahon. He 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 accusing them of "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.
In 1983 the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
held that Mahon had acted in excess of his jurisdiction and in breach of natural justice by going on to make findings of a conspiracy by Air New Zealand to cover up the errors of the ground staff.
In 1985 Mahon was appointed as Commissioner of Inquiry into the 1984 Queen Street riot
. In the same year he published "Dear Sam", a collection of his letters to his children.
In 2008, Mahon was posthumously awarded the Jim Collins Memorial Award by the New Zealand Airline Pilots Association for exceptional contributions to air safety, "in forever changing the general approach used in transport accidents investigations world wide."
In the 1988 TVNZ
dramatisation of the inquiry, Erebus: The Aftermath
, Mahon was played by Frank Finlay
.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(1923–1986) was a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
High Court
High Court of New Zealand
The High Court of New Zealand is a superior court of New Zealand. It was established in 1841 and known as the Supreme Court of New Zealand until 1980....
Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, best known for his Commission of Inquiry into the crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901
Air New Zealand Flight 901
Air New Zealand Flight 901 was a scheduled Air New Zealand Antarctic sightseeing flight that operated between 1977 and 1979, from Auckland Airport to Antarctica and return via Christchurch...
("Mount Erebus disaster"). His son, Sam Mahon
Sam Mahon
Sam Mahon is a socialist artist and author living in Waikari in the South Island of New Zealand. He is the son of Peter Mahon, a lawyer notable for the Mt Erebus disaster inquiry....
is a well-known artist.
Military Service
Mahon served in 2NZEF as a second lieutenant. He spent much approximately two years overseas, mostly in Italy.Early Legal Career
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
Parker-Hulme murder
The Parker-Hulme Murder was a murder and subsequent court case that occurred in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1954, achieving notoriety because a mother was murdered by two teenage girls: her daughter and her daughter's best friend...
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
Sunnyside Hospital
Sunnyside Hospital was the first mental asylum to be built in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was initially known as Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum, and its first patients were 17 people who had previously been kept in the Lyttelton gaol...
.
Erebus Inquiry
After the crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901 with loss of all aboard on 28 November 1979, an accident report was released by the chief inspector of air accidents, Ron ChippindaleRon Chippindale
Ronald "Ron" Chippindale was the Chief Inspector of Air Accidents in charge of the New Zealand Office of Air Accidents Investigations.He was born in Kettering, England, and moved to New Zealand in 1938...
, which cited pilot error
Pilot error
Pilot error is a term used to describe the cause of an accident involving an airworthy aircraft where the pilot is considered to be principally or partially responsible...
as the chief cause of the accident. Public demand led to the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the accident, consisting solely of Mahon. He 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
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
executives engaged in a conspiracy to whitewash the inquiry, covering up evidence and lying to investigators, famously accusing them of "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.
In 1983 the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. Established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King in Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is one of the highest courts in the United...
held that Mahon had acted in excess of his jurisdiction and in breach of natural justice by going on to make findings of a conspiracy by Air New Zealand to cover up the errors of the ground staff.
In 1985 Mahon was appointed as Commissioner of Inquiry into the 1984 Queen Street riot
Aotea Square
Aotea Square is a large paved public area in the CBD, of Auckland, New Zealand. Officially opened in 1979 by Sir Dove-Myer Robinson next to Queen Street, it is used for open-air concerts and gatherings, and markets and political rallies....
. In the same year he published "Dear Sam", a collection of his letters to his children.
In 2008, Mahon was posthumously awarded the Jim Collins Memorial Award by the New Zealand Airline Pilots Association for exceptional contributions to air safety, "in forever changing the general approach used in transport accidents investigations world wide."
In the 1988 TVNZ
Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TVNZ U and new media services....
dramatisation of the inquiry, Erebus: The Aftermath
Erebus: The Aftermath
Erebus: The Aftermath was a 1988 New Zealand television miniseries about Air New Zealand Flight 901, which crashed in Antarctica in 1979. The miniseries, a docudrama, was produced by Television New Zealand, and was broadcast in New Zealand and Australia...
, Mahon was played by Frank Finlay
Frank Finlay
Francis Finlay, CBE is an English stage, film and television actor.-Personal life:Finlay was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, the son of Margaret and Josiah Finlay, a butcher. A devout Catholic, he belongs to the British Catholic Stage Guild. He was educated at St...
.
Publications
- Verdict on Erebus, Collins, 1984, ISBN 0-00-217213-5
- Dear Sam, Fontana/Collins, 1985, collection of letters to family and friends