On 28 November 1979 an Air New Zealand aircraft carrying 257 people on a sightseeing flight to Antarctica crashed on the side of Mount Erebus, killing everyone aboard and scattering bodies and aircraft debris on the slopes above the bay. Not all the bodies were subsequently recovered.[3]
Antarctic Specially Protected Area
An area above Lewis Bay, on the lower slopes of Mount Erebus and extending to the coast, is protected as Antarctic Specially Protected Area No.156 because it has been declared a tomb in order to ensure that the area be left in peace. The declaration was made as a mark of respect and sympathy with the relatives of those who died in the 1979 crash, and with the Government and people of New Zealand, in remembrance and in order to protect the site's emotional values.[3]
77°23′00″S168°04′00″E / 77.3833333°S 168.0666667°E / -77.3833333; 168.0666667.
A rock point 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) west-southwest of Cape Tennyson on the north side of Ross Island. In association with the names of expedition ships grouped on this island, named after United States Naval Ship (United States NavyS) Wyandot, a transport ship that carried supplies to this area in at least 13 seasons, 1955-56 to 1971-72.[6]
^ ab"Lewis Bay, Mount Erebus, Ross Island"(PDF). Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 156: Measure 2, Annex. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2003. Retrieved 2013-03-12.