Inquiries & Recommendations

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On Thursday 12 May 2005, at about 0410, Train 211, a southbound express freight service, passed signal 8L at the north end of Rangitawa at Stop. The train continued on the main line until the locomotive engineer regained situational awareness and stopped the train. Train 230, a northbound express freight train, was approaching Rangitawa from the south end and had been signalled to enter the loop at the time. When Train 211 passed Signal 8L at Stop, the signal governing the entry of Train 230 into the loop reverted to Stop and Train 230 stopped about 100 m short of the signal.

On 6 April 2012 the 9.5-tonne body of a damaged freight wagon (the load) was being carried on a purpose-built "special-movement wagon" (the wagon). The wagon was one of 60 on a northbound freight train travelling from Dunedin to Christchurch.

Bantam B22 microlight aircraft ZK-JAS underwent an uncontrolled descent and collision with the ground near the Rotorua Microlight Club airstrip at Mead Road, near Rotorua, on 12 December 1993. Safety issues included the hazard of reduced performance due to excess load, high density altitude, and sink encountered after take-off, and potential for stall onset during a turn at low airspeed.

At about 0615 on Thursday, 13 September 2001, an unattached loaded log wagon on the leading end of a shunt being propelled into a siding at Stillwater was routed onto the main line at a damaged turnout and rolled 450 m downgrade on the Midland Line. Thick fog was present at the time and the loss of the wagon was not realised until 0645 and it was not located until 0700. The safety issues identified included: • rail service operations being carried out by non-qualified contractors at Stillwater

Between June 2006 and April 2007 the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (the Commission) launched inquiries into 5 separate platform overrun events on the Auckland suburban rail network. Because there appeared to be a number of common factors contributing to the overruns, they have been combined into this one report.

On Wednesday 7 August 2002, at about 1335, train control gave authority for westbound express freight Train 484 to depart Tauranga and enter a section of track already occupied by a hi-rail vehicle travelling towards the train. Some minutes after the train departed, the train controller in-training realised he had set up a potential collision so he contacted the locomotive engineer and instructed him to stop the train. When the train stopped, about 300 m separated the train and the hi-rail vehicle. The safety issues identified included:

On 24 July 1994 at 2008 hours Train 150 struck and killed a pedestrian walking on the railway line near Newmarket. The pedestrian was not entitled to be on the railway line. No specific safety deficiencies were identified.

At about 1522 hours on Friday 23 August 1996 ZK-EGQ, a Fletcher FU24-950, was on a routine sowing run, 16 km south-west of Motueka, when its left wing struck a lone pine tree damaging the left aileron. Control difficulties resulted and the aircraft collided with the face of a steep ridge. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot lost his life in the accident. No new safety deficiencies were revealed.

At about 1147 on 13 April 2023, the recreational vessel Onepoto and the passenger ferry Waitere collided in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The Onepoto was travelling from Opua to Onepoto Bay, while the Waitere was operating a scheduled service from Russell to Paihia. The master of the Waitere sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital. The ferry suffered catastrophic damage and later sank, while the Onepoto received some damage but was able to continue under its own power to a repair berth.

This report relates to a loss of control due to the ingestion of a foreign object by the rotor of Westland Wasp NZ3094 at Taupo Aerodrome on 20 November 1992. The safety issues discussed in the report are the improvement of facilities and inspections at Taupo Airport to enhance the safety of helicopter operations. Certification of Aerodromes by the Civil Aviation Authority, CAA advice to aerodrome operators, the promulgation of information on legislation relating to civil aerodromes to military pilots and the inspection of civil aerodromes by military flight safety teams.

The aircraft had been chartered to take a 3 person medical team from Taieri Aerodrome to Alexandra and return. Prior to take-off from Alexandra the pilot assessed the wind to be easterly at about 10 knots. He backtracked to a position about 150m or 200m from the threshold of runway 14, selected 10o of flap and commenced take-off. The aircraft accelerated normally and at 50 knots the pilot raised the nose. The aircraft became airborne momentarily but settled again and the pilot decided to abandon the take-off.

On 16 September 2011 an Air New Zealand Boeing 747-419, registered ZK-NBT (the aeroplane), was on approach to land at San Francisco when the crew was alerted by the crew of another aircraft that flames were coming from the number 4 engine. There was no indication on the flight deck of the condition. After an uneventful landing and shutdown, the local engineer inspected the engine in accordance with the published procedure. After some additional checking and engine running, he released the aeroplane back to service. The aeroplane completed a further 2 sectors without incident.