Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

[Investigation incorporated in report 04-130. Please refer to that report.]

On Friday, 23 April 1999, the ro-ro cargo vessel "Union Rotoiti", with 19 crew on board, was on passage from Melbourne to Auckland when it encountered heavy weather. The master had deviated to avoid the leading quadrant of a depression and to reduce the motion of the vessel. Due to fuel filtration problems, the "Union Rotoiti" lost all power for about 50 minutes during which it lay broached to the sea and swell, rolling violently.

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 Wednesday 7 November 2007, at about 0140, the trailing bogie of wagon UK10696, on Auckland to New Plymouth express freight Train 533, derailed at 103.848 kilometres (km) on the Stratford - Okahukura Line. The derailed wagon was dragged a further 2.75 km until the leading bogie also derailed. The wagon tipped on its side, derailing the wagon immediately in front and behind it. There were no injuries.

On 27 February 1994, ZK-HTU, a Hughes 269B helicopter collided with a ridge at an elevation of 4500 feet in the Tararua Range. One passenger was killed, and the pilot and another passenger received serious injuries.

At about 0400 on Monday 5 May 2003, while steaming towards fishing grounds to the west of Fiji, the fishing vessel "Solander Kariqa" suffered a fire in the domestic refrigeration space resulting from maintenance involving oxy-acetylene cutting. The crew fought and contained the fire, which was not totally extinguished until about 2000 that evening. There were no injuries to the crew, but had they been unable to extinguish the fire with the limited fire fighting equipment available the vessel may have been lost with resulting injuries or fatalities. Safety issues identified were:

This report examines 3 separate track buckle occurrences on the South Island coal route during the summer of 2001/2002. Two of the track buckles resulted in derailments. Safety issues identified by these incidents included: • the need for staff training to ensure they recognise and respond to visible track defects • the need to protect continuous welded rail, formed at unknown neutral temperature • the need to control tamping and lining to ensure track is not realigned leaving increased compressive stress in the rails.

[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.]

[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.]

[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.]

[Investigated on behalf of the Government of the Cook Islands. Direct any inquiries for copy of the report to the Minister of Transport of that State]

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.