Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

At approximately 1425 hours on Sunday 2 April 1995 a Cessna 152 aircraft, ZK-FJX stalled at a low height, dropped the left wing and collided with the terrain, near Matakana some 7 km north-east of Warkworth. The pilot and passenger lost their lives in the accident. The safety issue discussed relates to the need for pilots to resist the temptation to conduct impromptu low level flying The causal factors were failure to maintain a safe height above the terrain and inexperience in low flying.

At about 1225 hours on 29 March 1995, ZK-TIK stalled and spun from a low altitude after having both engines fail within a short space of time. The aeroplane had just departed Hamilton on a scheduled flight to New Plymouth. All six occupants died in the accident. Causal factors identified were a fuel tank mis-selection and failure to execute a forced landing. A contributing factor was a fuel management regime with potential for mismanagement. Safety issues discussed are checks and communications in emergency.

On Saturday, 25 March 1995 at 0312 hours the Bulk Carrier MV "Alltrans VKBE", outward bound from Tiwai Point, ran aground in "Number Three Reach" of the Bluff Harbour Channel. Causal factors included human fatigue, tension and loss of situational awareness. It was recommended to the Manager Operations for Southport New Zealand Ltd that he review the roster procedures for Southport Harbour Pilots.

[A preliminary investigation showed that the circumstances were not likely to have significant implications for transport safety. Consistent with section 13 of the TAIC Act the Commission discontinued the investigation and no report was published.]

At 0027 hours on 6 March 1995, Train 203, the Auckland - Wellington "Northerner" express collided with a motor vehicle on the Highway 30 level crossing at Mangapehi (20 km south of Te Kuiti). The crossing was equipped with warning devices which were operating at the time of the accident. The motor vehicle driver was killed and his passenger sustained minor injuries. No specific safety issues were identified.

On 28 February 1995, at approximately 2240 hours, Train 258, a freight from Te Rapa to Westfield passed through the area immediately north of the Waikato River rail bridge in Ngaruawahia. Circumstantial evidence indicates it was this train which collided with a pedestrian who was crossing the line outside the driveway to his house at that time. The pedestrian was killed by a train at some time after 2230 in that area. No safety deficiencies which would have prevented this accident were revealed by the investigation.

[A preliminary investigation showed that the circumstances were not likely to have significant implications for transport safety. Consistent with section 13 of the TAIC Act the Commission discontinued the investigation and no report was published.]

On 16 February 1995 at about 0145 hours the fishing trawler "Austro Carina 100851" suffered a fire on board while moored at No.5 Jetty in the Port of Lyttelton. The fire was initiated by oil over-heating on a stove. Safety deficiencies identified included the level of fire fighting training for New Zealand 'Qualified Fishing Deck Hands'.

[A preliminary investigation showed that the circumstances were not likely to have significant implications for transport safety. Consistent with section 13 of the TAIC Act the Commission discontinued the investigation and no report was published.]

[A preliminary investigation showed that the circumstances were not likely to have significant implications for transport safety. Consistent with section 13 of the TAIC Act the Commission discontinued the investigation and no report was published.]

[A preliminary investigation showed that the circumstances were not likely to have significant implications for transport safety. Consistent with section 13 of the TAIC Act the Commission discontinued the investigation and no report was published.]

On 4 February 1995, Train F04 was a non-scheduled service conveying passengers from the Wellington area to Featherston for the Martinborough Fair. At 0958 hours, about 3 km into the 8.8 km tunnel, the crew noticed an engine fire on the locomotive. The Locomotive Engineer elected to shut the engine down once the train was in a position to coast clear of the tunnel. None of the crew or passengers was injured. Safety issues identified were a replacement regime for fuel header lines, and emergency response plans for the Rimutaka Tunnel.