Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

The Republic of Kiribati established a Commission of Inquiry into the capsize and foundering of the single outrigger passenger ferry Uean Te Raoi II off Maiana Island on 13 July 2009, which resulted in 35 deaths and 16 survivors. The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission was asked to provide within one month an interim report to the Kiribati Commission to enable the Kiribati Commission to report back to the Kiribati Government within the deadline described in its terms of reference.

Shortly after take-off at approximately 1305 on 5 July 2009, the right engine propeller assembly of ZK-LOU, a 3-engine Trislander, separated from the engine crankshaft and struck the side of the aeroplane. Nobody was seriously injured, but the aeroplane fuselage was extensively damaged and a passenger door was removed, leaving a large opening adjacent to some passengers.

On Wednesday 1 July 2009, an elderly male passenger who was vision-impaired had just alighted from passenger Train 8125 on the Down platform at Newmarket West station. He was walking along the platform as the train left and he veered into the side of the moving train, spun around and fell through the gap between the train and the platform edge onto the track below. The passenger was fatally injured. No conclusive reason for the passenger veering into the side of the train could be established, but it was likely related to his impaired vision or, distraction, or a combination of both.

On 4 March 2009, the Tutukaka Coastguard vessel Dive! Tutukaka Rescue was tasked to assist a recreational vessel in difficulty in Ngunguru Bay south of Tutukaka. It was night-time and the sea condition was rough. The crew of the Coastguard vessel became so focused on locating the vessel in difficulty that they lost awareness of where their own vessel was and struck a rock at a moderate speed. The Dive! Tutukaka Rescue was extensively damaged and several crew members were seriously injured in the collision.

The Marine Accident Investigation Bureau carried out a limited investigation of this occurrence, assisted by TAIC. On 17/9/09 the Commission closed the inquiry as MAIB is unlikely to produce a full report on the incident. MAIB will publish a report in digest format.

Between 21 June 2008 and 7 May 2009, 3 express freight trains derailed at various locations on the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) line. All 3 derailments were caused by the failure and collapse of bogie side frames on wagons. The side frame failures were all similar in that they started with a fatigue crack that propagated over a period of days rather than weeks, through the box section of the side frame, until the remaining material failed in overload during normal train operations.

On 22 April 2009, the Korean-registered fishing vessel Pantas No.1, while chartered to a New Zealand-registered fishing company and fully compliant with a New Zealand safe ship management system was discharging its cargo of frozen squid at the New Zealand port of Bluff.

On 30 March 2009 at 2340, a Fairchild SA227-AC Metroliner III air ambulance aeroplane, registered ZK-NSS, took off from Auckland International Airport on a night flight to New Plymouth Aerodrome to uplift a patient. On board were 2 pilots and a medical team of 3. The flight was without incident until the approach at New Plymouth. The pilots carried out a visual approach, although that was generally not permitted by the aeroplane

On 4 March 2009, the Tutukaka Coastguard vessel Dive! Tutukaka Rescue was tasked to assist a recreational vessel in difficulty in Ngunguru Bay south of Tutukaka. It was night-time and the sea condition was rough. The crew of the Coastguard vessel became so focused on locating the vessel in difficulty that they lost awareness of where their own vessel was and struck a rock at a moderate speed. The Dive! Tutukaka Rescue was extensively damaged and several crew members were seriously injured in the collision.

Momentary driver distraction led to a tourist jet boat striking and overturning on a midstream gravel bank in the Dart River, near Glenorchy, at about 1545 on 20 February 2009. The driver and 3 of the 18 passengers suffered injuries, while the boat received minor damage to its hull and moderate damage to its canopy.

General On 19 February 2009, the Australian-registered passenger ship Oceanic Discoverer was at its berth in the New Zealand port of Napier. The crew were conducting a fire and emergency drill, of which part was to close and test the hydraulically closed watertight doors.

On 9 February 2009, the passenger and pilot of an Airborne XT-912 microlight aircraft (microlight), registered ZK-DGZ (DGZ), were fatally injured as a result of an accident while on a scenic flight over the Abel Tasman National Park, at the top of the South Island. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) conducted a technical investigation into the accident and the Commission opened an inquiry into the regulatory context of commercial microlight 'adventure aviation' flights.