Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

At about 1200 hours on Friday, 21 May 1999, as the passenger and freight ferry "Arahura" was approaching Picton near the end of a scheduled Wellington to Picton service, the master slowed the vessel to about 5 knots to allow the starboard rescue boat to be launched as part of a drill. As the rescue boat was being lowered, the single quick-release hook attaching the boat to the launching davit released prematurely and the boat fell some 15 m to the sea. A preventer chain fitted as security against such an event parted as the boat fell.

At 0027 hours on 6 March 1995, Train 203, the Auckland - Wellington "Northerner" express collided with a motor vehicle on the Highway 30 level crossing at Mangapehi (20 km south of Te Kuiti). The crossing was equipped with warning devices which were operating at the time of the accident. The motor vehicle driver was killed and his passenger sustained minor injuries. No specific safety issues were identified.

[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.]

The Commission assisted the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s investigation. A New Zealand-registered Boeing 777 reportedly descended below the minimum altitude for a part of its arrival procedure on approach to Brisbane International Airport. New Zealand has completed its support for this inquiry. Please note: TAIC will not be producing a report for this inquiry but you can find a copy of the report produced by The Australian Transport Safety Bureau on their website.

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 4 November 1994 at about 1815 hours Hughes 369HS helicopter ZK-HCT departed from a farm property on a positioning flight to Whangarei Airport. Just after take-off, the helicopter turned abruptly to the left and struck the ground in a 90º bank. The pilot was killed and the two passengers seriously injured.

On Thursday 30 October 2003 at about 1445, Train 3366 a Tranz Metro1 Papakura to Britomart diesel multiple unit passenger train passed a conditional stop board, between Tamaki and Glen Innes, without authority. The train stopped at Glen Innes station for waiting passengers before continuing on to Britomart. There were no injuries. Safety issues identified included: • the quality of the Channel 1 radio reception near Tamaki • the radio procedures for communication between locomotive engineers and the person in charge of the worksite

In the early hours of Wednesday 27 October 2004, the San Rochelle with a Master and 2 crew on board was in the fishing grounds to the north of New Zealand. At about 0345 with the crew part way through setting the first longline of the voyage, the Master noticed smoke coming from the aft engine room ventilators. He discharged a portable CO2 fire extinguisher into the engine room, without the fire noticeably diminishing, before he made a distress call on his single side band radio. The distress call was acknowledged by Maritime Radio and a rescue operation commenced.

On Wednesday 19 September 2001, at about 0705, a collision occurred between a light locomotive and a private motorcar at Egmont Tanneries Ltd private level crossing between Stratford and Inglewood on the Marton to New Plymouth Line. The motor vehicle had made a right-hand turn from State Highway 3 which ran parallel to the railway line and entered the unprotected level crossing immediately in front of the approaching locomotive.

New Zealand has completed its support for this inquiry. TAIC will not be producing a report on this inquiry. A copy of the report produced by the Italian investigaiton agency can be found at page 16 using the link in the sidebar to the right.

At about 0530 on Saturday 18 September 2010, the coastal container ship Spirit of Resolution departed its berth at the port of Onehunga in Manukau Harbour and took about 1.7 hours to reach the Manukau Bar at the harbour entrance. The sea conditions were forecast to exceed the four-metre maximum permissible observed wave height over the Bar and remain so for at least another two days. The master decided to proceed to the harbour entrance, knowing that he had the option of anchoring inside the entrance and awaiting more favourable conditions.