Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

[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.]

After take-off the left main wheel and piston assembly detached from the aircraft. The Fletcher was flown to Hamilton aerodrome where it was landed without further damage. The lower link attachment bolt had failed due to torsional fatigue caused by the bolt binding in its surrounding bush.

On 31 October 2006, the restricted limit passenger vessel Milford Sovereign was on a cruise of Milford Sound with a master, 9 crew and 181 passengers on board. Shortly after rounding Dale Point at about 1400, the master slowed the vessel in order that the passengers could view some penguins. As the master put the engines astern they both stalled, and before he was able to restart them the bow of the vessel struck the rock wall. The underwater hull was not penetrated so the master resumed the cruise.

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

[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 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.

The Solomon Islands has yet to publish a report on the accident. However, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has issued a service bulletin to address technical issues with the aircraft involved, and the operator has taken action to address other matters. The Commission is unlikely to be asked for further assistance with the Solomon Island led investigation, so has closed its file.

A restricted-limits passenger vessel caught fire, burnt to the waterline and sank with 53 passengers and 7 crew on board. The fire very likely started in the engine room and rapidly spread through the vessel. There was no fire detection system to alert the crew of the fire until it had taken hold. The CO2 fire smothering system installed in the engine room was not effective in extinguishing the fire because the engine room could not be totally shut down to prevent oxygen entering and feeding the fire.

At 0730 on Monday 10 June 2013, the KiwiRail Scenic-operated passenger train the Capital Connection was en route from Palmerston North to Wellington and had stopped at Waikanae Station to exchange passengers. The train was fitted with a mobility hoist in the rear-most luggage van for boarding and alighting passengers in wheelchairs.

At about 1930 on 21 June 2010, the bulk carrier Hanjin Bombay left the wharf at Mount Maunganui loaded with a full cargo of logs for the port of Kunsan in Korea. The vessel was under the control of a Port of Tauranga harbour pilot, with the master in command.

At about 1000 on Sunday 23 February 2014, the charter passenger catamaran Dream Weaver departed Westhaven Marina in Auckland for a dolphin- and whale-watching trip in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf. There were 36 passengers and a crew of four on board, comprising the master, the manager, the deckhand and a hospitality worker. The weather conditions were forecast to deteriorate throughout the day, with winds predicted to reach 40 knots from the southwest by evening.

[Investigated on behalf of the Government of Vanuatu. Direct any inquiries for copy of the report to the Minister of Transport of that State]