Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

On Sunday 17 May 1998, at 1530 hours, the carriages of Glenbrook Vintage Railway Train 31 ran away down a grade and collided with the engine which had been detached for coaling during a scheduled stop at Pukeoware. One minor injury occurred to a passenger as a result of the low-speed collision.

On Friday 15 May 1998, at approximately 2220 hours, Train 411, a southbound express freight, was mistakenly routed on to the wrong main at Ngaruawahia. This operating irregularity was not responded to appropriately and the train was permitted to continue running in the down direction on the up main to Te Rapa, some 12 km south.

On Friday 8 May 1998 Air Nelson Metro ZK-NSJ, Airlink (RLK) 8611, was being operated on a scheduled service at night from Hokitika to Christchurch when the incident occurred. Unforecast fog occurred at the destination and alternate aerodromes. The aircraft made four ILS approaches before being able to land at the destination. No alternative course of action remained available to the crew at that stage because of the low amount of fuel remaining. Safety issues identified are: • the procedure for crews to release company agents from departure aerodromes

On Thursday, 30 April 1998, at about 0250, the Ro Ro cargo vessel "Spirit of Vision" grounded in French Pass. The vessel had been on passage from Nelson to Lyttelton with eleven persons on board. There were no injuries. Attempts to refloat the vessel immediately after grounding were unsuccessful despite the assistance of the fishing vessel "Rockfish". The vessel refloated without assistance on the next rising tide and was able to continue the passage to Lyttelton, although the starboard engine could not be used due to propeller damage sustained in the grounding.

[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 about 1123 hours on Sunday 19 April 1998 ZK-HKU, an Aerospatiale AS350D helicopter fitted with an AlliedSignal LTS101 engine, experienced a total loss of engine power while on approach to land at the Skyline Skyrides heliport at Rotorua. The pilot made an autorotational landing onto uneven terrain. No injuries to the helicopter occupants resulted.

On Saturday 28 March 1998 at 1707 hours Train 201, the southbound Auckland to Wellington Overlander passenger express, struck a displaced load on Train 242, a Wellington to Palmerston North express freight train which was berthed in the Longburn loop. There were no injuries. Train 201 suffered superficial damage to the locomotive and carriages. Safety deficiencies identified were: · the lack of appreciation of correct load securing requirements · insufficient training of staff involved in loading

At about 1050 on Monday, 23 March 1998, a commercial jet boat carrying 14 passengers was transiting down the upper Dart River. While negotiating a right hand bend in the river, the driver reduced power as he turned the boat hard left around a rock in midstream. When he re-applied power the engine stalled. Without directional control the driver was unable to prevent the boat striking a large rock on the river bank. The passengers and the driver received minor to serious injuries in the accident. Seven passengers were evacuated by helicopter.

At about 0826 on Monday, 16 March 1998, "Condor 10" was proceeding out of Wellington Harbour into a moderate southerly swell, when the vessel encountered two short steep waves of approximately 4.5 m in height. The master reduced speed as "Condor 10" rose over the first wave, and the vessel dipped onto the face of the second wave. The resultant slamming displaced the bow visor and caused substantial damage to the surrounding hull structure. None of the 231 passengers and 22 crew were injured in the incident. Safety issues identified included:

On Saturday, 14 March 1998, at about 1802 hours a displaced stack of platform containers on Train 235, a Westfield to Wellington express freight train, struck a through-truss bridge at Ngaruawahia. As a result of the collision the train parted, six wagons were derailed, and major damage to the bridge occurred when five wagons and various loads concertinaed. The cause of the collision was the movement of inadequately restrained stacked platform containers. Safety issues identified were: • the serviceability and uniformity of integral interlocking devices fitted to platform containers;

On Monday 9 March 1998 at about 2359 hours, nine wagons of Train 928, a northbound Dunedin to Christchurch express freight, derailed near Purakanui at low speed. The train continued for approximately four kilometres before a brake application alerted the locomotive engineer to the problem. The point of the derailment coincided with that of an almost identical derailment involving Train 928 on 3 March 1998.

On Monday, 9 March 1998, at about 0655 hours Train 1603, a Masterton to Wellington suburban passenger service, collided with a transition head which had fallen from the locomotive cowcatcher. Damage to the underside of the train resulted in a 3000 litre diesel fuel spillage. The cause of the collision was a transition head becoming displaced in transit due to inadequate stowage details. Safety deficiencies identified were: • The lack of adequate investigation of the work necessary to convert overseas rolling stock for New Zealand coupling requirements.