Inquiries & Recommendations

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On 18 June 1997, at approximately 1150 hours, Silver Fern railcar RM24 running empty to depot on the down main collided with a pedestrian who had just disembarked from an up train and was using a pedestrian level crossing to gain access to Glen Innes shopping centre. The pedestrian was killed by the collision. Safety issues identified were the rationale for determining the level of protection appropriate to particular pedestrian level crossing situations and the acceptability of subways as the only access to island station platforms.

After boarding ZK-HVO for a scenic flight at Rotorua on 17 March 1994, one of the passengers stood up in the doorway and raised his hand to wave to other members of his tour group. His hand was struck by the helicopter's main rotor. No specific safety issues were addressed.

[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 Tuesday 20 July 2004, at 1345, Train 725, a Picton to Christchurch express freight service, was authorised to travel through the Tormore to Scargill section of the Main North Line that was already occupied by a track maintenance gang. Two track maintenance personnel had just completed their work and were stowing equipment on their vehicle parked trackside when the train travelled through their worksite. There were no injuries or equipment damage. Safety issues identified included: - the certification process for trainee train controllers

Between 17 October 1997 and 12 January 1998 various Boeing 767 and 747 aircraft were flown with unrestrained unit load devices or pallets. In four cases the cargo was able to move freely along the adjacent empty spaces in the cargo hold of the aircraft. An investigation of the first incident was initiated in Sydney, at the Commission’s request, by the Australian Bureau of Air Safety Investigation. While that investigation was in progress four further incidents occurred.

An Airbus AS350 ‘squirrel’ helicopter was picking up passengers in Fiordland National Park. During final approach, the helicopter’s tail rotor reportedly contacted the ground. It landed hard with significant damage to its tail boom.

On 13 December 1994 at 1717 hours, Train 901, the southbound "Southerner" express passenger service between Christchurch and Invercargill, was travelling at 94 km/hr when the Locomotive Engineer noticed a buckle in the track ahead. He was unable to bring the train to a halt in the space available, and although the locomotive and three passenger carriages remained on the rails, all wheels of the trailing vehicle, a luggage van, were derailed.

The Captain M. J. Souza is a New Zealand-registered purse seine fishing vessel that was operating in the Pacific Ocean approximately 650 nautical miles north of Samoa. On 24 August the vessel was engaged in a routine fishing operation when a nylon rope sling that was securing one end of the fishing net to the vessel broke. The weight of the net was then transferred to an approximately 48-millimetre-diameter nylon rope called a safety choker line, which was designed to retain the net end in the event of the rope sling failing.

[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 2 November 2013 a British Aerospace Jetstream 32 aeroplane taking off from Auckland Airport started to veer left from the runway centreline. The captain was initially able to correct the heading change, but at about 90 knots the turn became uncontrollable. The aeroplane slowly ran off the left side of the runway before the captain could bring it to a stop. No-one was injured and there was no damage to the aeroplane or any airport infrastructure. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (Commission) made the following findings:

This was a serious runway incursion incident that occurred when an aviation security officer drove a patrol vehicle onto the active runway at Dunedin International Airport at night in heavy rain ahead of a landing aeroplane. A collision was narrowly avoided because the vehicle driver kept to the shoulder of the runway and stopped soon after entering the runway.

On 11 May 2011 the nose landing gear of a Piper PA31-350 Navajo Chieftain (the aeroplane) jammed in a partially retracted position during a training flight at Nelson Aerodrome. The nose landing gear could not be extended again, and in the subsequent landing the aeroplane sustained substantial damage. Neither of the 2 pilots, the only persons on board, was injured.