Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

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 Wednesday 31 July 2002, at about 1040, express freight Train 328 passed 6 Signal, Te Rapa, at stop. The train then ran through No. 2 points at Te Rapa, set in the reverse position, and travelled a further 9 km on the North Island Main Trunk up main before being stopped at Horotiu. A hi-rail excavator working on track between Te Rapa and Horotiu had just cleared the track before the train passed through the work area. A safety issue identified was the probable fatigue-related performance impairment of the locomotive engineer leading to his loss of situational awareness.

On Friday, 26 July 2002, at about 0150, Train 533, a westbound express freight, derailed as it negotiated a 45 km/h speed restricted curve after descending a 1 in 51 gradient between Whangamomona and Te Wera. The train plunged about 12 m down the side of the track formation killing the locomotive engineer. A second crew member sustained serious injuries. The 2 locomotives and several wagons on the train were extensively damaged, but the track sustained minor damage only. Causal factors included:

On Sunday 14 July 2002, at about 1830, the coastal cargo ship "Kent" parted a mooring line while attempting to berth in storm force winds at Glasgow Wharf in Wellington Harbour. Subsequently, as the ship was proceeding back out into the harbour, it struck a pontoon and was holed below the waterline in way of the engine room. The engine room progressively flooded and the ship lost all power. The "Kent" anchored near Point Jerningham before being towed to the Overseas Passenger Terminal, where repairs were affected and the engine room pumped out. 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.]

On Monday 24 June 2002, at about 0730, Air Napier PA31-310 Navajo ZK-NPR was on a freight flight from Palmerston North when the pilot had to make an emergency landing at Napier because the right undercarriage was unable to be extended. The landing was successful, with moderate damage to the aircraft and no injury to the pilot. The right undercarriage had failed to extend because the uplock hook could not release the undercarriage leg. This resulted from a flat oleo strut becoming compressed, and was a previously unknown design deficiency.

[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 Wednesday 12 June 2002 at about 1308, a partially-sighted passenger fell from the doorway of Train 2643 while alighting at Silverstream. The train, an Upper Hutt to Wellington Tranz Metro electric multiple unit service, had stopped at the platform but the last doorway of the rear passenger car, from which the passenger fell, was positioned off the north end of the platform. The passenger suffered serious injuries that required hospital treatment. The safety issue identified was the berthing of electric multiple unit passenger services at suburban stations.

On Monday 10 June 2002 at about 1835, Piper PA23-250D Aztec ZK-DIR and Piper PA34-200T Seneca II ZK-MSL were flying the same track from Napier to Paraparaumu and climbing to their respective cruise altitudes when the required vertical separation between them was lost. At one stage the 2 aircraft were possibly at the same altitude, with a lateral separation of less than one km. The pilots were aware of the presence but not the proximity of the other aircraft. The loss of separation was identified only after radar information became available.

On Wednesday 15 May 2002, at about 0918, ZK-ZSP, a Partenavia P68B, was on a scheduled flight from Gisborne to Napier, when its right engine lost power because of fuel starvation. The aeroplane was 5 km from Wairoa, at 5000 feet and in cloud, at the time. On board were 4 passengers and the pilot.

On Saturday 4 May 2002, at approximately 1150, a child fell from a carriage of Train 1337, the Rain Forest Express, while it was travelling through Tunnel 29 on the Nihotupu Tramline. The child was seriously injured when he was crushed between a 610 mm diameter water pipeline and the moving train. The safety issues identified were: • the lack of physical constraints on passenger carriages to prevent passengers from falling out while the train was in motion • the adequacy and construction of the compartment doors • the staffing of the train

On Thursday 25 April 2002 at about 1242 hours, a near collision occurred between passenger express Train 700 TranzCoastal and an empty petrol tanker, at Vickerman Street level crossing, near Blenheim. As the train approached the level crossing, the locomotive engineer saw the tanker obstructing the crossing and immediately sounded the horn and applied the emergency brakes. The train stopped about 5 m short of the crossing, by which time the tanker had reversed clear. There were no injuries.