Inquiries & Recommendations

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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 24 July 1994 at 2008 hours Train 150 struck and killed a pedestrian walking on the railway line near Newmarket. The pedestrian was not entitled to be on the railway line. No specific safety deficiencies were identified.

At about 1522 hours on Friday 23 August 1996 ZK-EGQ, a Fletcher FU24-950, was on a routine sowing run, 16 km south-west of Motueka, when its left wing struck a lone pine tree damaging the left aileron. Control difficulties resulted and the aircraft collided with the face of a steep ridge. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot lost his life in the accident. No new safety deficiencies were revealed.

At about 1147 on 13 April 2023, the recreational vessel Onepoto and the passenger ferry Waitere collided in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The Onepoto was travelling from Opua to Onepoto Bay, while the Waitere was operating a scheduled service from Russell to Paihia. The master of the Waitere sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital. The ferry suffered catastrophic damage and later sank, while the Onepoto received some damage but was able to continue under its own power to a repair berth.

This report relates to a loss of control due to the ingestion of a foreign object by the rotor of Westland Wasp NZ3094 at Taupo Aerodrome on 20 November 1992. The safety issues discussed in the report are the improvement of facilities and inspections at Taupo Airport to enhance the safety of helicopter operations. Certification of Aerodromes by the Civil Aviation Authority, CAA advice to aerodrome operators, the promulgation of information on legislation relating to civil aerodromes to military pilots and the inspection of civil aerodromes by military flight safety teams.

The aircraft had been chartered to take a 3 person medical team from Taieri Aerodrome to Alexandra and return. Prior to take-off from Alexandra the pilot assessed the wind to be easterly at about 10 knots. He backtracked to a position about 150m or 200m from the threshold of runway 14, selected 10o of flap and commenced take-off. The aircraft accelerated normally and at 50 knots the pilot raised the nose. The aircraft became airborne momentarily but settled again and the pilot decided to abandon the take-off.

On 16 September 2011 an Air New Zealand Boeing 747-419, registered ZK-NBT (the aeroplane), was on approach to land at San Francisco when the crew was alerted by the crew of another aircraft that flames were coming from the number 4 engine. There was no indication on the flight deck of the condition. After an uneventful landing and shutdown, the local engineer inspected the engine in accordance with the published procedure. After some additional checking and engine running, he released the aeroplane back to service. The aeroplane completed a further 2 sectors without incident.

[Assisting overseas investigation - no TAIC report published]

On Friday 6 May 2005, at about 0720, pier 4 of Bridge 256 between Nuhaka and Opoutama on the Palmerston North-Gisborne Line suffered a catastrophic failure and collapsed while work Train 60 was being piloted across the bridge at the start of a 2-day work programme to underpin pier 4. A 60-tonne rail crane and the adjacent ends of spans 3 and 4 fell into the river. There were 10 staff members making up the work gang, but because they had been moved off the bridge before the work train started to cross, there were no injuries.

On Wednesday 9 February 2005 and Sunday 20 February 2005, incidents involving steering malfunctions occurred on board the passenger freight ferry "Aratere" while the vessel was on passage between Picton and Wellington. In both incidents, the steering gear operating the port rudder failed to respond to command signals from the navigating bridge. However, in both incidents the navigation of the vessel was continued safely using the starboard steering gear and rudder. Because of the similarities arising from each incident, both incidents have been combined into one report.

On Friday 23 June 2006 at about 0627, the Lady Luck, was returning from a fishing trip in bad weather when it collided with Black (Matatapu) Rock near the southern extremity of Motiti Island. The Skipper of the vessel was able to transmit a distress call on very high frequency channel 16 before he and the other 3 persons on board boarded the liferaft and the vessel sank. Maritime Radio, the Coastguard, the operations centre of the Port of Tauranga and another fishing vessel all received the distress message.

At 0957 on 7 October 2013, a Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 departed Christchurch for Pegasus Field aerodrome in Antarctica. There were 117 passengers and 13 crew on board. The passengers included a New Zealand Government Minister, staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and staff from Antarctica New Zealand and the United States Antarctic Program.