Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

While off loading a sling-load of bales of seaweed the pilot sensed a transient "buzz" from the tail rotor which disappeared with the application of yaw pedal. On the transit back to the pick up point at about 200 feet amsl and 60 knots IAS there was a brief, high frequency, vibration throughout the airframe followed by a loud noise. The helicopter's nose pitched down sharply. A witness on the beach saw the tail rotor separate and fall, apparently intact, to the sea.

The homebuilt aircraft, which had been constructed by the owner pilot, was observed taking off from Culverden to return to Christchurch. The take-off and initial climb appeared normal but at a height of about 200 feet agl the engine was heard to falter and misfire. The aircraft entered a spin to the left and collided with the ground just north of the aerodrome. The pilot and passenger received fatal injuries.

A Hughes 369D helicopter collided with two 11,000 volt electric power conductors on 14 March 1994 at Mohaka near Wairoa. The safety issues identified were the need for detailed preparation before engaging in low level air transport operations, the permissive operation of low level air transport operations and the marking of long spans of wires above wide valleys.

Shortly after a night take-off from Auckland Airport the aircraft descended to collide with a bank at the aerodrome boundary before a second collision with the water surface of Manukau Harbour. The three crew were killed in the accident.

A skydive tandem pair crash-landed into a lake following a double parachute malfunction. The tandem rider’s lifejacket did not properly inflate, and the rider was lost in the lake, presumed deceased. Parachutists everywhere need to practice water landings, which are even riskier than you might think. TAIC recommends changes to aviation rules and incident reporting.

Circumstances of this fatal helicopter crash into dense forest included: risky take-off towards and over treetops; old worn engine lacked power; and aircraft not airworthy. Also private pilot licence conditions breached (flying for payment or reward). Lessons about obeying Civil Aviation Rules; reporting concerns; CAA monitoring of nominally private aviation participants.

People can make safety-critical errors when they take risks due to focusing too much on completing a job task. Safety-critical tasks should be designed so that it is easy to get the job done safely. TAIC reports on why a worker remote-controlling a shunt locomotive received serious injuries, caught between wagons on board the rail ferry Aratere.

On the first topdressing flight for the day the take-off run was longer than normal due to a blocked injector in the number 8 cylinder. During the take-off the right wing passed through a six foot tall hedge of dense thistles which bordered the downsloping airstrip for the lowest third of its length. The thistles had not been present when the pilot operated from the airstrip previously. Thistles became entrained between the wingtip and the aerodynamic balance horn, deflecting and jamming the ailerons, causing the aircraft to roll uncontrollably to the right.

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.

At approximately 1100 hours on Wednesday 7 June 1995 a Fletcher FU24A-954, ZK-EMU, collided with the face of a hill during a sowing run and caught fire. The aircraft was destroyed, and the pilot lost his life in the accident. Pilot incapacitation was the probable cause of this accident. The incapacitation was sufficient to cause loss of situational awareness and loss of aircraft control at a critical phase of flight. No safety issues were identified as a result of this investigation.

On Tuesday 14 October 1997, at about 0815 hours a 3.7 m log fell from a wagon forming part of Train C25, a Kinleith to Mount Maunganui log train, as it passed through Tokoroa. The log cartwheeled for 38 m, cleared a 1.8 m high fence and came to rest on a trampoline in a residential property.

At about 1040 hours, on Saturday 24 August 1996, at the conclusion of a local flight, Jodel D11 ZK-EJP made an approach and go-around over the farm airstrip where it was based. The aircraft subsequently flew downward at a lower height than usual and was seen to bank steeply to the left in an apparent attempt to land on the airstrip or in adjacent paddocks. It levelled momentarily then rolled to the right, descended rapidly, and struck the hillside. The pilot sustained fatal injuries on impact.