Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

In the early hours of 2 March 2014, a diesel-hauled, four-carriage passenger train had completed passenger operations for the night and was returning empty from Waitakere for overnight stabling in the yard in Otahuhu, near Westfield. There were the train driver and one train manager on board.

On Wednesday 9 February 2005 at about 1500, a descending barrier arm at Norton Road level crossing, Hamilton, struck a school bus conveying 16 passengers when the level crossing warning devices activated for the passage of express freight Train 312. The school bus could not clear the level crossing because of traffic banked up in front of and behind it. Train 312 was stationary at the time and the locomotive engineer became aware of the school bus before he moved his train. There were no injuries.

[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 10 February 2003, at about 1305, train control authorised northbound express freight Train 142 to depart Te Kauwhata and enter a single line section of track, into which an opposing hi-rail vehicle movement had been authorised about 30 minutes earlier, thereby creating the potential for a head-on collision. The safety issues identified included: · the training and certification of new entrant train controllers on additional train control desks soon after their initial certification

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 3 December 2001 at about 1430, Robinson R44 helicopter ZK-HTK was on a commercial transport flight from a remote campsite in the Urewera National Park to Ruatahuna, carrying two hunters whose recovery had been delayed by bad weather. While flying over the highest terrain en route, where the weather was probably worst, the helicopter collided with trees, fell to the ground and burned. One survivor was rescued 2 days later. The pilot's low experience probably contributed to his perseverance with the flight in conditions of low cloud and poor visibility.

[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.]

At approximately 0700 hours on Friday, 1 October 1999, a rail operator fell from a slow moving wagon during shunting operations at Stillwater, when a handgrip detached as he was boarding the wagon. The rail operator fell backwards away from the wagon and landed alongside the track, sustaining minor injuries as a result. The safety issues identified included: • the inability of the inspection regime to identify the defective handgrip • the unreported damage to, and unauthorised reinstatement of, handgrips arising from load handling and inappropriate shunting methods

At approximately 0720 hours on 8 May 1995 a Fletcher FU24-950, ZK-EMB, flown by a recently qualified agricultural pilot, squashed onto the ground in a stalled condition at a high rate of descent, in a wings level attitude. The pilot received serious injuries in the accident.