Executive summary
The two aircraft were departing from the Milford Sound area for Queenstown when a collision occurred. ZK-DAX was landed safely but ZK-DQF fell into the Sound. The occupants of ZK-DQF were killed in the accident.
Related Recommendations
He regulate the traffic density at Milford Sound by restricting the maximum number of aeroplane departures within a period of time. A suggested figure is six departures in any fifteen minute period. This would give flexibility while allowing aircraft to fly to MacKinnon Pass and return to overhead Milford Sound without encountering dense traffic.
Waist belt or similar ready access lifejackets be provided for each occupant of any air transport flight operation from Milford Aerodrome.
Provision be made for continuous weather information to be available from key areas such as the McKinnon Pass and the Upper Hollyford Valley to ensure that the normal VFR weather minima could be observed while transiting the passes.
He publish flight safety advice to pilots explaining: • How features such as valleys, VFR lanes or edges of controlled airspace constrain aircraft onto similar courses and concentrate traffic density; • How similar performance aircraft may converge laterally or vertically where lookout is most difficult; • What steps to take to compensate for this difficulty; • That an essential part of visual collision avoidance is a low traffic density. Good airmanship includes consideration of when and where to fly, with this in mind.
It be a requirement that air transport operators' Operations Manuals and Training Manuals detail their operational and training procedures, minimum experience levels and en route meteorological minima for their Milford Sound operations.