Inquiries & Recommendations

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At about 2125 hours on Friday 4 December 1998, a loss of separation occurred between an Air New Zealand Boeing 767 and a Sunair Piper Aztec near Auckland Airport. Both aircraft were under radar control at the time of the incident. The Boeing 767, on departure from Auckland, was intercepting the Auckland - Rarotonga track and climbing to flight level 250. The Piper Aztec was en route from Hamilton to Whangarei via Auckland, maintaining 7000 feet. The pilot of the Piper Aztec saw the Boeing 767 closing from the left and descended to ensure separation.

At 1105 hours on Tuesday 17 December 1996, Air New Zealand flight NZ 31 from Auckland to Brisbane, requested a clearance to climb from flight level 350 to non-standard flight level 370, because of turbulence at flight level 350. The level change was authorised by air traffic control, and as the aircraft left flight level 350, the crew noticed the "contrails" of another aircraft above and levelled off. A traffic alert and collision avoidance system traffic advisory message was received at the same time, indicating that the vertical separation of the aircraft on passing was 1800 feet.

At about 1225 hours on 29 March 1995, ZK-TIK stalled and spun from a low altitude after having both engines fail within a short space of time. The aeroplane had just departed Hamilton on a scheduled flight to New Plymouth. All six occupants died in the accident. Causal factors identified were a fuel tank mis-selection and failure to execute a forced landing. A contributing factor was a fuel management regime with potential for mismanagement. Safety issues discussed are checks and communications in emergency.

TAIC final report shows why equipment should be operated by people who understand how to use it safely, and why safety management systems should require ongoing monitoring and review of risk control effectiveness. A container ship crew member's leg was seriously injured when caught in a moving part of a telescopic ladder.

KiwiRail’s system for work in the rail corridor should satisfy the needs of the contractors as well as KiwiRail, and it should not deter contractors from applying to enter the rail corridor. A fatal accident where a train impacted a road contractor’s truck on a level crossing happened because KiwiRail was unaware the road-marking crew would be there; they had not applied for a permit to work in the rail corridor.

On Monday, 27 November 1995 at approximately 1600 hours, during a summer white water rafting trip down the Shotover River near Queenstown a raft capsized and one of the passengers drowned. Safety issues identified included the difficulty rafting operators have in conveying the nature of white water rafting to non-English speaking passengers. It was recommended that the proposed Commercial White Water Rafting Code of Practice include a requirement for raft operators to show passengers an audio-visual summary of the demands of the rafting experience before they embark on the trip.

On Tuesday, 25 July 1995 an accident occurred during a winter white water rafting trip down the Shotover River, Queenstown. The raft failed to follow the intended passage down the Cascade Rapid and was drawn sideways into a rapid/waterfall known as The Toaster. One of the passengers fell from the raft, became entrapped underwater and drowned. Safety issues identified included levels and methods of training for rafting guides. The Safety issues identified are being addressed by the Maritime Safety Authority by way of the Draft Code of Practice for Raft Operators.

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.