Inquiries & Recommendations

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On Friday 3 January 1997, at 1357 hours, Cessna 310Q aeroplane ZK-KIM, on a private flight to Ardmore, was turning after take-off from Queenstown when it entered a spin or spiral dive which led to a collision with the ground. The pilot and all five passengers were killed. The position of the Remarkables Range, in relation to runway 14, restricted the space available and precluded a normal visual horizon reference for the pilot during the turn.

At 1627 hours on Monday 29 January 1996, ZK-SFA a Cessna 208 Caravan, collided with heavily wooded terrain on the eastern slopes of Mount Robertson, 10 nm north-east of Blenheim. The aircraft had departed from Wellington on a scheduled flight to Picton Aerodrome (Koromiko). The five passengers lost their lives in the accident, but the pilot survived. Causal factors identified were: descent under a cloud layer; misidentification of terrain features; loss of "positional awareness"; insufficient forward visibility; the high speed of the aircraft; and the pilot's decision making.

The fire on the fishing trawler Dong Won took hold because the fire alarm did not sound, the crew’s initial firefighting was inefficient; and the ship was exempt from and did not comply with current structural fire protection standards. On any such vessel, the crew may not be as safe as they would be on a newer vessel constructed to newer standards. TAIC recommendations address the key issues.

A tourist jet boat impacted a rock face when its steering and propulsion failed. 9 injuries. Fatigue cracking broke bolts holding steering nozzle and tailpipe together. Operator's hazard focus was more on operating conditions and driver training than mechanical matters. Regulatory practice should address the need for every jet boat operator to have a regime to maintain safety-critical components.

Points on the main line were incorrectly set and a freight train diverted into a loop holding 3 parked track maintenance rail vehicles. From 20 km/h, the train applied emergency braking, stopped about 1km from parked vehicles. No injuries. Factors in incident: train speed, procedures not followed, and work team communication. Operator taking appropriate safety actions. No need for TAIC recommendations

Derailment of three freight train wagons was very likely due to "dynamic interaction" – a combination of excessive speed, track geometry and wagon centre of gravity. Train was exceeding maximum permissible track speed on a downhill gradient with a distracted driver. The operator has addressed the safety issues raised in this report. Lessons on driver distraction and acting on safety knowledge.

This report examines 6 track heat buckle incidents that occurred in different localities throughout New Zealand in the summer of 2000/2001, 5 of which resulted in derailments. Safety issues identified by these incidents included: • the need for training of track staff to ensure they recognise and respond to visible track defects • the possible need to protect continuous welded rail, formed at an unknown neutral temperature, during hot weather • the need to control tamping and lining to ensure track is not realigned leaving increased compressive stress in the rails

This report examines 6 track heat buckle incidents that occurred in different localities throughout New Zealand in the summer of 2000/2001, 5 of which resulted in derailments. Safety issues identified by these incidents included: • the need for training of track staff to ensure they recognise and respond to visible track defects • the possible need to protect continuous welded rail, formed at an unknown neutral temperature, during hot weather • the need to control tamping and lining to ensure track is not realigned leaving increased compressive stress in the rails

This report examines 6 track heat buckle incidents that occurred in different localities throughout New Zealand in the summer of 2000/2001, 5 of which resulted in derailments. Safety issues identified by these incidents included: • the need for training of track staff to ensure they recognise and respond to visible track defects • the possible need to protect continuous welded rail, formed at an unknown neutral temperature, during hot weather • the need to control tamping and lining to ensure track is not realigned leaving increased compressive stress in the rails

At about 1610 on Friday, 2 October 1998, the jet boat "Terminator" was proceeding at a speed of about 65 km/h down one of many secondary channels on a braided section of the Dart River, when the driver was confronted with an obstacle partially blocking a left hand turn in the channel. As the driver attempted to make the turn around the obstruction, his boat struck it, the driver lost control and the boat skidded sideways into a shingle bank and flipped, trapping some of the passengers beneath the boat. The 11 passengers plus the driver suffered minor to serious injuries.

On June 4, 2017, at 0917 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur-built Titan T-51 Mustang, N51FB, lost thrust to the propeller during the initial takeoff climb from Phoenix Goodyear Airport, Goodyear, Arizona. The pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and aft fuselage during the forced landing.