Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

On Monday 6 August 2001 at about 0730, a lifeboat and rescue boat launching drill was conducted on board the passenger and freight ferry "Aratere". At about 0750, during the recovery of the port lifeboat, the forward hook of the synchronous release equipment opened spontaneously when the lifeboat was about one metre above the water. The bow of the lifeboat fell back into the water. None of the 8 occupants were injured and the lifeboat sustained no damage. Safety issues identified included:

On Saturday 28 July 2001 at about 0512, the coastal container ship "Spirit of Enterprise" was outbound from Onehunga in Manukau Harbour with 11 crew and a harbour pilot on board when it grounded in soft mud on the starboard side of Wairopa Channel. Initial attempts to refloat the ship failed and it was eventually refloated on the rising tide at about 1437 the same day. There were no injuries and the ship suffered no structural damage.

[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 Friday 20 July 2001, at around 0450, Partenavia P68B ZK-DMA was abeam North Shore Aerodrome at 5000 feet in darkness and enroute to Whangarei, when it suffered a double engine power loss. The pilot made an emergency landing on runway 21 at North Shore Aerodrome, but the aircraft overran the end of the runway, went through a fence, crossed a road and stopped in another fence. The pilot was the only person on board the aircraft and received face and ankle injuries.

[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 Monday, 16 July 2001, at about 0825 the passenger doors on the left side of Train 8203 electric multiple unit passenger service, opened uncommanded as the train travelled through Tunnel No 2 between Takapu Road and Wellington on the North Island Main Trunk. The locomotive engineer immediately stopped the train in the tunnel. The doors opened due to an electrical short circuit that was caused by heat from an overworked resistor bank melting the insulation on the door control wires. The crew manually closed the doors and the train continued to Wellington.

On Saturday 7 July 2001, at about 1900, express freight Train 842 derailed in the Otira Tunnel. The leading locomotive derailed 2 axles at a failed rail joint which had been installed as a temporary repair for a fractured rail found on Thursday 5 July. There were no injuries. Safety issues identified included: • the suitability of the standards for temporary track repairs • the frequency of inspection of temporary track repairs • the monitoring and control of rail top wear in the Otira Tunnel • the damp contaminated ballast condition throughout the tunnel

[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 7 June 2001 at about 2332, the passenger and freight ferry "Arahura", with 63 passengers and 68 crew on board, was approaching Wellington when a machinery space fire alarm that had been activated was being investigated. On opening the sliding watertight door to the machinery space the engineers were met by water pouring from the space at a height of about 1.6 m above the floor plates. The door was closed again and pumps started to pump the water overboard. Prior to the flooding being discovered the watchkeeping engineer had been pumping engine room bilges for some time.

On Wednesday, 6 June 2001, at about 1841, express passenger Train 201 Overlander derailed when a wheel on the leading axle of the trailing bogie of the power van fractured as the train approached Otaihanga Road level crossing near Paraparaumu on the North Island Main Trunk. There were no injuries to train crew or passengers and damage was limited to the trailing bogie of the power van. The safety issue identified was the suitability of the wheel set for use in passenger rolling stock.

On Monday 4 June 2001 at about 1715, ZK-HJH, a Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopter, was approaching Taumarunui when it was seen to enter a turn and fall to the ground, killing the 3 occupants. The helicopter was observed to break up before it hit the ground. This report summarises the results of a resumed investigation of the event and supersedes the original report (Report 01 005).

On Monday 4 June 2001 at about 1715, ZK-HJH, a Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopter, was approaching Taumarunui when it was seen to enter a turn and fall to the ground, killing the 3 occupants. The helicopter was observed to break up as it descended.