Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

On 11 August 2008, a Kawasaki-Hughes 369D helicopter, registered ZK-HWE, departed Haast in support of a Department of Conservation track-maintenance task. On board were 3 track workers, the pilot and over 150 kilograms of equipment. The pilot had flown a similar series of flights during the previous week.

[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.]

During a hunting sortie, in which the helicopter was being flown with both doors removed, the pilot manoeuvred the helicopter adjacent to a steep slope to enable the shooter to fire at a deer. The next moment the pilot saw the shooter "flying out the door" and falling some 30 or 40 feet on to the tussock and scrub covered slope. The pilot flew from the area temporarily to summon assistance and subsequently picked up a local doctor and transported him to the scene. The shooter survived the fall but sustained severe injuries to his back and lower limbs.

At 0707 on 10 January 2023, a hi-rail vehicle (HRV1) stopped on a curve near Te Puna so the Ganger could mark a worksite. A second hi-rail vehicle (HRV2), following two minutes behind, rounded the curve at about 38 km/h and struck the rear of HRV1 as TW1 was re-entering the cab. TW1 was thrown onto the ballast and injured, and equipment on HRV1 was damaged.

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

On Wednesday, 12 March 1997, at about 1615 hours a roadroller entered State Highway 30 from a side road to cross Bennydale Road level crossing at Mangapehi, and moved onto the level crossing ahead of an approaching train. The level crossing alarms were operating. The driver of the roadroller was killed in the resulting collision. The cause was the driver's apparent failure to see or hear the warning devices. A safety issue identified was the suitability of control procedures for the movement of roadrollers and similar machines over level crossings.

[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.]

At approximately 1115 hours on 25 August 1994 an airmiss occurred between a Boeing 737 airliner on approach to Dunedin Airport and a Cessna 152 operating from Taieri Aerodrome. It was recommended that the vertical and horizontal airspace boundaries to the southwest of Taieri Aerodrome be modified to improve separation between uncontrolled VFR traffic and controlled IFR traffic on approach to Dunedin Airport.

At about 0808 on 7 October 2014, a Robinson R44 helicopter (the helicopter) crashed into steep bush to the northeast of Mt Arthur, in the Kahurangi National Park. The helicopter was being flown from Karamea to Nelson for scheduled maintenance, through an area of forecast high winds and turbulence, at the time of the accident. The helicopter broke up in flight after one of the main rotor blades struck the cabin and the main rotor assembly separated from the rest of the helicopter. The pilot, who was the only occupant, was killed.

On Wednesday, 24 May 1995 at about 0820 hours Q2 Shunt operated by New Zealand Rail Limited was shunting at Gracefield yard. During a propelling movement to attempt to catch and hook onto a moving wagon, the Rail Operator riding on the leading wagon fell under the Shunt and was killed instantly. Causal factors were unauthorised shunting procedures, wagon drawbar condition, limited experience of staff and effectiveness of compliance monitoring. Safety deficiencies addressed in the report are the suitability of and compliance with instructions covering loose shunting.

On Monday 18 November 2002, a hi-rail vehicle overran its track authority from Westmere Intermediate Board to Symes Road Intermediate Board on the Marton-New Plymouth Line and continued a further 28.3 km to Brewer Road Intermediate Board. The operator of the hi-rail vehicle had intended to proceed to Brewer Road but mistakenly made reference to Symes Road when seeking authority from the train controller. There was no conflicting track occupancy between Symes Road Intermediate Board and Brewer Road Intermediate Board. The safety issues identified were:

[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.]