Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

During the course of a scenic flight over Fox Glacier, the helicopter's engine seemed to lose power and the pilot made an autorotational descent on to the glacier. Two of the passengers were fatally injured during the ensuing impact on the extensively crevassed and pinnacled ice-fall, and the pilot and one of the two surviving passengers received serious injuries.

The student agricultural pilot was operating ZK-CTO under the supervision of his instructor who was flying another FU24 on the same sowing task. Both pilots completed several sorties before the instructor halted operations to rebrief the student on his sowing pattern. Further sorties were flown satisfactorily, followed by a break at which time the aircraft were refuelled. During the climbout on the second load after refuelling witnesses heard the engine of ZK-CTO cut then misfire before apparently regaining power.

The homebuilt aircraft, which had been constructed by the owner pilot, was observed taking off from Culverden to return to Christchurch. The take-off and initial climb appeared normal but at a height of about 200 feet agl the engine was heard to falter and misfire. The aircraft entered a spin to the left and collided with the ground just north of the aerodrome. The pilot and passenger received fatal injuries.

While attempting to land at Tiraora Lodge the pilot was dazzled by low sun and elected to overshoot. The aircraft made a low turn to avoid high ground, struck a telephone wire and descended out of control into the sea. The pilot and five passengers were rescued but suffered varying degrees of injury.

The aircraft was making an approach to the airstrip when it was observed to oscillate in pitch. The left wing failed and the aircraft dived into the ground, fatally injuring the pilot.

ZK-EMZ was engaged in spraying a potato crop. Towards the completion of the task ZK-EMZ dived into the ground during a turn. The pilot received fatal injuries in the accident.

At a height of 40 feet on the approach the pilot detected a wind shift and as he banked the aircraft to compensate for this the rudder control cable broke near the control column. The rudder, which is controlled by the control column, deflected hard right and the aircraft banked steeply to the right at which time the aircraft collided with the ground.

The aircraft was returning to Gore Aerodrome from a private airstrip. A local farmer observed the aircraft pass over the property about 400 feet above ground level, in normal cruising flight. Shortly afterwards it rolled to the left and entered a steep dive from which it was not recovered. The two occupants received fatal injuries in the ensuing ground impact.