Inquiries & Recommendations

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On Tuesday 17 October 2000, at about 1250, a MDHC 369E helicopter ZK-HFT, was returning to Queenstown with 2 people on board when the pilot made a forced landing owing to a loss of engine power.

At about 0640 on 20 October 2006, the sixth wagon on express freight Train 237 derailed and entered a crossing loop at Utiku, derailing 9 other wagons and bringing down a section of the overhead electric traction line as well. The derailment was caused by the dynamics of a permanently coupled pair of wagons and the design of the modified solid drawbar arrangement when the wagons behind bunched and “ran-in” while the train was under braking on a descending gradient.

[Incorporated into Report 07-005] On 29 May 2007, a Saab SF340A aircraft that was holding on an angled taxiway at Auckland International Airport was inadvertently cleared to line up in front of a landing Raytheon 1900D. The aerodrome controller transmitted an amended clearance, but the transmission crossed with that of the Saab crew reading back the line-up clearance. The pilots of both aircraft took action to avoid a collision and stopped on the runway without any damage or injury.

On Wednesday 18 December 2002 at about 2230, northbound express freight Train 220 was approaching Rukuhia when dragging brake gear on a wagon near the middle of the train hit the spreader bar of the south-end turnout. As a result of the impact, the train parted and 11 wagons derailed. Safety issues identified included: · the limitations of the fulcrum pin connecting the brake vertical lever to the brake beam · the absence of a safety wire to support the push rod in the event of a failure.

No report was published, one safety recommendation was issued.

The pilot hired the two seat aircraft for a local flight with the intention of flying over Glenbrook where his passenger lived. A number of witnesses saw the aircraft flying in the area at a moderately low height and circling around. It particularly attracted attention when the engine sound was heard to change, described variously as throttled back, or stopping briefly, then increasing. The aircraft was seen to turn left from a southerly heading toward the north-east. It then went suddenly into a very steep dive while turning or twisting to the left.

[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.]

In August 2016, bulk cargo ship Molly Manx was inbound to Dunedin (Ravensbourne pier) with a harbour pilot on board. On approach to the narrow passage between the Halfway Islands, the ship ran aground on a sandbank. Damage was limited to the bottom paintwork. Nobody was injured. Key lessons are that a bridge team must: work with the pilot on route (planning and monitoring); incorporate pilots into bridge resource management; and ensure they can be warned of risks by a correctly configured electronic chart display and information system.

On 4 September 2010 the pilot of a Walter Fletcher aeroplane (the aeroplane) with eight parachutists on board lost control during take-off from Fox Glacier aerodrome. The aeroplane, registered ZK-EUF, crashed in a paddock adjacent to the runway, killing all nine occupants. The aeroplane had been modified from an agricultural aeroplane into a parachute-drop aeroplane three months before the accident. The modification had been poorly managed, and discrepancies in the modification documentation were not detected by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, which approved the change in role.

[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.]

In the early morning of 7 March 2007, while fishing about 195 nm off the west coast of the North Island, the longline fishing vessel Walara-K took on water in its engine room and sank in 500 m of water within 3 hours. The 3 crew members were able to abandon ship into a liferaft from which they were rescued within 6 hours. The vessel was not recovered. The loss of the vessel and the absence of key documents have resulted in the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (the Commission) being unable to determine the exact reason for the ship