Inquiries & Recommendations

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On 23 December 1994, at 1745 hours Train 702, the Christchurch to Picton "Lynx Express" collided with a car on a level crossing over State Highway 1 just north of Omihi. A passenger in the car was killed and the driver and other passenger received serious injuries in the accident. The effectiveness of the road signs preceding the crossing was the only safety issue identified. Safety recommendations were issued in respect of the signage at railway level crossings.

[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 22 December 1994, Piper PA 32-260 (Cherokee Six) ZK-DDF landed heavily on Waiheke Island Aerodrome. The aircraft sustained wing and undercarriage damage, but none of the four occupants was injured. The causal factor in this accident was the turbulence encountered during the approach and landing phase of the flight. No safety deficiencies were revealed by the investigation.

On 13 December 1994 at 1717 hours, Train 901, the southbound "Southerner" express passenger service between Christchurch and Invercargill, was travelling at 94 km/hr when the Locomotive Engineer noticed a buckle in the track ahead. He was unable to bring the train to a halt in the space available, and although the locomotive and three passenger carriages remained on the rails, all wheels of the trailing vehicle, a luggage van, were derailed.

At about 1615 hours on 12 December 1994, Train F29, a Napier to Wellington express freight, collided with a Hi-Rail vehicle travelling in the opposite direction on the line. Nobody was injured, although the Hi-Rail vehicle was severely damaged. Causal factors involved fitness for duty and failure to clarify the Ganger's location requirements geographically. It was recommended that the Train Control Officer's requirement to establish the position of the required access to the track be extended to those requiring the access.

At 1215 hours on 22 November 1994 ZK-ENZ, a Piper PA32, lost power on its landing approach to runway 27 at North Shore Aerodrome and landed short of the runway. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The safety issue discussed is the importance of sound fuel management by pilots.

On 5 November 1994 ZK-EFO was being used to top-dress a farm near Kaikohe Aerodrome. During a turn the aircraft stalled and collided with the hillside.

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 31 October 1994 the Locomotive Engineer on Train 776, a northbound express freight operated by New Zealand Rail Limited (NZRL) advised Train Control that he was at Oaro, and in response to the question from the Train Control Officer, cancelled the track warrant he held to Oaro. A southbound passenger train, Train 701, arrived at Oaro to cross 776, but 776 was not there. Subsequently it was discovered that 776 was at Claverley, some 12 kilometres south of Oaro. A track warrant was issued for 701 to continue southwards.

On 29 October 1994 at about 1000 hours, Aerospatiale AS 350B ZK-HWV collided with a valley side during a local scenic flight, killing all seven occupants. While no cause was established positively, it is probable the aircraft was flown into cloud inadvertently. A safety issue which prompted a safety recommendation to the Civil Aviation Authority was the absence of standards to guide pilots in setting height margins beneath cloud.

At approximately 1351 hours on Tuesday 11 October 1994 an AS350B helicopter, ZK-HZP, flew into the sea near Needle Rock, 10 nm north-east of Whitianga. Two of the five passengers lost their lives in the accident and the pilot received serious injuries. The safety issues discussed include the hazards associated with hydraulic jack stall, and the necessity for pilots to make sound command decisions appropriate to air transport operations.

At 1615 hours on 5 October 1994 a pedestrian walking on the track near Woburn Station in the Hutt Valley was struck and fatally injured by a suburban passenger train.