Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

[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 1132 hours on Thursday 15 May 1997 ten free-falling parachutists exited from Hercules NZ7002 at 10 000 feet above Whenuapai Aerodrome. The parachutists passed some miles in front and to the left of a Bandeirante aircraft transiting the area at 7000 feet. No collision occurred between the parachutists and the Bandeirante. A clearance to release the parachutists had been issued to the Hercules crew but the clearance was inappropriate due to a misunderstanding between the Air Traffic Controllers.

On Tuesday, 15 April 1997, at approximately 2120 hours the locomotive engineer of Train 537, a southbound express freight, reported that the level crossing alarms at Ellery Street level crossing at Ngaruawahia had failed to operate for the passage of the train. Fortunately, no accident occurred. Tranz Rail Limited's initial investigation on the night of the incident revealed the signal controlling the approach over the crossing had both filaments blown on the stop indication bulb. The Commission's subsequent investigation concluded that the train had passed the signal at stop.

[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 Thursday 3 April 1997, at 1912 hours, the Airways Corporation communications network system suffered a failure which caused a temporary loss of all Air Traffic Control very high frequency radio communications in the Wellington Sector. Subsequent modifications to the system and procedures will reduce the chance of a similar failure. A safety issue identified was the inadequacy of the "communications failure" information in the Instrument Flight Guide for pilots, in the case of a failure of communications from Air Traffic Control.

On Tuesday 1 April 1997 at 0828 hours, Cameron O-160 balloon ZK-FBS, on a passenger scenic flight, was making a go-around from a missed landing approach in foggy conditions when it contacted a power line. No injury or damage to the balloon resulted. A wind shift led to the missed landing approach. The go-around manoeuvre was insufficient or too late to avoid the power line. A safety issue addressed was the recent non-availability of Whenuapai and Ohakea weather information for pre-flight briefings.

On Saturday, 22 March 1997, at approximately 1848 hours Train 3656, a northbound suburban electric multiple unit service, collided with a car on Sutherland Avenue level crossing, Trentham. The three occupants of the car suffered minor injuries. The level crossing protection was not activated until the train was almost on the crossing. The cause of the incident was the failure of Train 3656 to stop at a signal displaying a red aspect.

On Wednesday, 12 March 1997, at about 1615 hours a roadroller entered State Highway 30 from a side road to cross Bennydale Road level crossing at Mangapehi, and moved onto the level crossing ahead of an approaching train. The level crossing alarms were operating. The driver of the roadroller was killed in the resulting collision. The cause was the driver's apparent failure to see or hear the warning devices. A safety issue identified was the suitability of control procedures for the movement of roadrollers and similar machines over level crossings.

On Wednesday 12 March 1997, at 0032 hours, Boeing 747-419 ZK-NBU was enroute from Auckland to Los Angeles as Flight NZ18. The Captain's electronic primary flight display no longer displayed flight reference information and appeared blank. An internal failure within the brake system control unit, due to water ingress, in turn caused a fault with the inertial reference unit data bus supplying information to the Captain's display. An alternate inertial reference unit was selected and it failed to supply the required information.

On Monday 3 March 1997 at 1014 hours, Cessna 185F ZK-PRM became airborne from runway 16 at Wellington International Aerodrome, behind a Boeing 727 which had departed directly ahead. The Cessna encountered wake turbulence which caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft at a height from which recovery was not possible. Neither of the two occupants was injured but the aircraft was substantially damaged. The pilot took-off from a mid-point runway position and had requested and been granted a waiver of the wake turbulence separation standards.

On Saturday, 1 February 1997, at about 1030, the restricted-limit passenger ferry "Te Waka o Kapanga", while en route from Waiheke Island to Rotoroa Island, struck rocks off the point between Little and Sandy Bays on Waiheke Island. None of the 53 passengers and four crew was injured but damage to the two rudders and propulsion systems was substantial.

On Monday, 20 January 1997, at about 1255 a jet boat carrying ten passengers plus the driver, and a substantial amount of water in the cockpit, was proceeding up the Ngaawapurua (Fulljames) "Rapid", when it lost engine power, took on more water and foundered in the rapid. The 11 occupants escaped to the river bank uninjured. Causes included the driver's failure to notice the substantial amount of water in the cockpit which affected the performance of the boat, reduced the freeboard and caused the engine to stop.