Inquiries & Recommendations

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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

On Monday 18 June 2007 at 0812, ZK-EAK, a Hawker Beechcraft Corporation 1900D, was on approach to land at Wellington when the landing gear failed to lower. The 2-pilot crew completed a missed approach and further attempted to lower the landing gear by both normal and emergency means. The landing gear remained retracted, so the crew elected to divert to Woodbourne where a wheels-up landing was made. The aircraft sustained moderate damage consistent with a wheels-up landing. There was no injury to the crew or the 15 passengers.

On 29 May 2007, a Saab SF340A aircraft that was holding on an angled taxiway at Auckland International Airport was inadvertently cleared to line up in front of a landing Raytheon 1900D. The aerodrome controller transmitted an amended clearance, but the transmission crossed with that of the Saab crew reading back the line-up clearance. The pilots of both aircraft took action to avoid a collision and stopped on the runway without any damage or injury.

[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 Saturday 12 May 2007, at 0400, northbound express freight Train 720 travelled past Seddon towards Vernon on the Main North Line without the authority of a track warrant issued from train control. The locomotive engineer did not stop on the main line at Seddon as required and obtain a new track warrant to travel beyond Seddon. Southbound Train 723 was sitting on the loop when Train 720 passed through Seddon. There were no other conflicting movements and as a result there was no damage or injury. Safety issues identified were:- • management of fatigue in train operations

On Thursday 3 May 2007 at about 2120, ZK-NGK, an Air New Zealand Boeing 737 319, en route from Wellington to Auckland, was landed at Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Base Ohakea as a precaution because of fumes in the cockpit from electrical burning. On board the aircraft were 121 passengers, 3 cabin crew and 2 pilots. Nobody was injured in the incident.

[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 Saturday 14 April 2007 at about 0300, the tug Nautilus III was towing the barge Kimihia, which was loaded with a cargo of rock, through the Wellington Harbour entrance channel when the barge unexpectedly capsized and deposited its cargo onto the seabed of the main entrance channel to the port. The master and crew of the tug, after advising Wellington Harbour Radio of the accident, towed the barge in its inverted state to Miramar wharf where salvage experts were able to right the barge on the 18 April 2007. Safety issues identified included:

[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.]

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 Thursday 5 April 2007, ZK-DOJ, a Piper PA32S-300 Cherokee 6, was on a local charter flight from Queenstown with a pilot and 2 passengers on board. The flight was to include a landing and short stopover at Elfin Bay on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, before returning to Queenstown. During the landing at Elfin Bay, the pilot deliberately steered the aircraft off the side of the airstrip to avoid overrunning the end. The aircraft struck a fence and sustained moderate damage but there was no injury to the passengers or pilot.

[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.]