Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

On Tuesday, 7 January 2003, at about 1928, a passenger who had alighted from an electric multiple unit train at Paekakariki was injured as she got down off a wagon of an express freight train. The freight train was berthed at the platform at Paekakariki and blocking access via a pedestrian crossing over the railway line to the public car park. The injured passenger was one of a number of passengers who climbed over the flat deck wagon to gain access to the car park beyond. The passenger suffered a serious ankle injury, which required hospital treatment.

The pilot was transporting a tramper and his gear to a mountain hut situated at an elevation of about 4750 feet. There was no helipad so he elected to land on a nearby tussock covered saddle. In the final stages of a shallow approach the pilot realised that main rotor rpm had decayed. Full throttle failed to restore rpm, and as the pilot considered he was committed to land, he increased collective but was unable to prevent a heavy touchdown. The helicopter pitched nosedown and fell on to its right side. Neither occupant was injured.

On 17 January 1994 NZRL Train 1604 struck a three-year-old pedestrian at Featherston. No specific safety issues were addressed.

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.

[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.]

After take-off the left main wheel and piston assembly detached from the aircraft. The Fletcher was flown to Hamilton aerodrome where it was landed without further damage. The lower link attachment bolt had failed due to torsional fatigue caused by the bolt binding in its surrounding bush.

On 31 October 2006, the restricted limit passenger vessel Milford Sovereign was on a cruise of Milford Sound with a master, 9 crew and 181 passengers on board. Shortly after rounding Dale Point at about 1400, the master slowed the vessel in order that the passengers could view some penguins. As the master put the engines astern they both stalled, and before he was able to restart them the bow of the vessel struck the rock wall. The underwater hull was not penetrated so the master resumed the cruise.

On Tuesday 19 June 2007 at about 1105, express freight Train MP2 was travelling between Huntly and Te Kauwhata when it struck a gantry crane from Work Train 22. Work Train 22 was stationary and was working on the adjacent Down Main line with its cranes fouling the Up Main line. The gantry swung around and struck one of the crane operators, knocking him from the wagon and under the passing train. The operator was fatally injured. The safety issues identified included: • the unfamiliarity of staff working in double-line territory

[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 9 February 2009, the passenger and pilot of an Airborne XT-912 microlight aircraft (microlight), registered ZK-DGZ (DGZ), were fatally injured as a result of an accident while on a scenic flight over the Abel Tasman National Park, at the top of the South Island. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) conducted a technical investigation into the accident and the Commission opened an inquiry into the regulatory context of commercial microlight 'adventure aviation' flights.

The Solomon Islands has yet to publish a report on the accident. However, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has issued a service bulletin to address technical issues with the aircraft involved, and the operator has taken action to address other matters. The Commission is unlikely to be asked for further assistance with the Solomon Island led investigation, so has closed its file.

A restricted-limits passenger vessel caught fire, burnt to the waterline and sank with 53 passengers and 7 crew on board. The fire very likely started in the engine room and rapidly spread through the vessel. There was no fire detection system to alert the crew of the fire until it had taken hold. The CO2 fire smothering system installed in the engine room was not effective in extinguishing the fire because the engine room could not be totally shut down to prevent oxygen entering and feeding the fire.