Inquiries & Recommendations

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The i-Catcher, an 8-metre aluminium charter vessel operated by Fish Kaikoura, departed South Bay on 10 September 2022 with 11 people onboard for a photography charter. At about 1005, while returning from Goose Bay, the vessel experienced a sudden impact beneath the hull and rapidly capsized. Six occupants managed to escape onto the upturned hull and raise the alarm, prompting a major search and rescue response. Despite the rescue efforts, only six people survived; the remaining five passengers were later found deceased in a petrol-contaminated air pocket beneath the vessel.

TAIC supported a preliminary investigation by the Isle of Man into a missing-person incident aboard the Isle of Man-registered bulk carrier Berge Rishiri. The crew member was last seen at 0800 on 29 August 2022 after completing duty in the engine room and failed to report for their next shift at 1600, prompting an onboard search assisted by another vessel and a rescue helicopter. The ship was outside New Zealand’s 12-nautical-mile limit, so New Zealand is gathering evidence on behalf of the flag state under the IMO Casualty Investigation Code.

Report into near-miss between bus and train in Christchurch recommends KiwiRail work with road controlling authorities to improve risk management for unplanned disconnections of level-crossing protections. KiwiRail disconnected the Selwyn Street level crossing when a fault could not be repaired on the day it was identified. There was no traffic management in place because KiwiRail hadn’t told council that due to an unplanned disconnection, the signals were not working.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission assisted an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation into an aviation safety incident in Australia. The ATSB reported that during the cruise phase of a Boeing 737’s freight flight from Perth to Christmas Island, the crew detected altitude and airspeed disagreements and returned to safely land at Perth. Post-flight inspection found melted plastic on the pitot tubes. The tubes supply pitot pressure to a range of flight instruments and are often protected by a cover when an aircraft is parked. New Zealand has completed its support for this inquiry.

Safety issues for Airwork Flight Ops: fuel checklists, crew training, control centre comms, weather info, crew compliance with manuals, safety management system. No new recommendation because all issues addressed. A Boeing 737 freighter landed with fuel exhaustion imminent because centre fuel tank pumps were switched off for whole flight.

TAIC calls on KiwiRail to resolve safety issues: risk oversight, risk controls, crashworthiness, crew training. Report also delivers insight into risk assessment, safety training, human factors. For want of these, locomotive went too fast over points, derailed, rolled onto side. All 3 crew escaped, injured.

TAIC identifies safety issues for KiwiRail’s auxiliary generator wagons -- programmed maintenance checks and wagon fire detection alarms. Small fire in auxiliary generator wagon for Capital Connection passenger train, extinguished. Cause was spontaneous ignition of materials around hot exhaust. Circumstances: Corroded exhaust that nobody noticed because inspection wasn’t required and maintenance wasn’t done.

TAIC report finds major safety issues for NZ stevedoring sector: regulators should be more proactive, take a just culture approach, individual stevedoring employers and whole sector should share information and work for mature safety systems.

TAIC report finds major safety issues for NZ stevedoring sector: regulators should be more proactive, take a just culture approach, individual stevedoring employers and whole sector should share information and work for mature safety systems.

New TAIC report identifies major safety issues affecting the marine sector nationwide, relating to: Search and rescue: availability of aircraft; availability of fuel for SAR helicopters; and joint training for SAR organisations Survivability: Maritime rules for stowage of life jackets to ensure easy access in an emergency Tracking technology: tracking systems should be required on commercial vessels. Marine surveys: How well vessel surveyors interpret and apply maritime rules.

New Zealand has completed its support for this inquiry. Please note, TAIC will not be producing a report for this inquiry.

New Zealand has completed its support for this inquiry. Please note, TAIC will not be producing a report for this inquiry.