Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

On 28 May 1993 a train collided with a motor vehicle on a level crossing near Levin. The driver, the sole occupant of the motor vehicle, was seriously injured. Safety issues discussed in the report are design criteria for level crossings adjacent to main road intersections and the display of warnings to motorists following the disablement of crossing warning devices.

On 22 May 1993 as the southbound express freight train from Westfield to Wellington rounded a bend near Taumarunui at dusk, the driver sighted a pedestrian on the tracks. The pedestrian lost his life when he was struck by the train.

[Investigated on behalf of the Government of Fiji. Direct any inquiries for copy of the report to the Minister of Transport of that State]

On the night of 22 April 1993 an unqualified pilot broke into a hangar and removed an aircraft which he subsequently flew for some two hours before it dived into the sea. The occupant lost his life in the accident.

On 20 April 1993 as New Zealand Rail Limited's 1655 train from Wellington to Taita was approaching Wingate one of two children cycling on the station platform fell in front of the train and sustained serious injuries. As a result of the investigation recommendations were made to improve the promulgation of safety information to school children and to impede the free access, of cyclists and skaters, down uninterrupted sloping ramps into railway platforms.

ZK-DGU, a PA 28 aeroplane, collided with a tree on a dual training flight. Safety issues discussed are procedures for actual and simulated engine failures after take-off.

On 16 April 1993 a pedestrian walking at night on the railway line near Petone was struck and killed by an electric multiple unit. The accident occurred in an area where a previously existing walkway had been removed as a result of road widening. A safety recommendation that the walkway be restored was made to the roading authority.

On approach to Great Barrier Aerodrome, the aircraft undershot the runway and contacted the lip of the drainage ditch at the runway's end. The left undercarriage leg was torn off, and the aircraft slid to a halt on its belly and right undercarriage leg. None of the six occupants were injured.

On 5 April 1993 a motor vehicle travelling west on Bridge Street, Eltham, was struck by a southbound locomotive as it entered the Bridge Street level crossing. The driver and sole occupant of the motor vehicle was killed in the collision. The crossing was protected by warning lights and bells which were operating at the time of the accident.

An engine failure, and subsequent forced landing, occurred to an Aerospatiale AS 350D helicopter during a scenic flight over the Fox Glacier on 17 March 1993. The safety issues discussed in the report are related to the promulgation and implementation of manufacturer's Service Letters and the inspection of unmodified fuel pump assemblies.

During a stream landing at Hamilton Aerodrome the pilot of one aircraft initiated a swerve to increase the separation of his aircraft from the one in front. The swerve developed into a ground loop in which the aircraft sustained substantial damage.

While the helicopter was being refuelled a bystander, who was the father of the two men conducting a spraying operation, walked into the aircraft's tail rotor and lost his life. The victim had been briefed on safety precautions and had observed them carefully but on this occasion he became distracted and walked into the danger area.