Executive summary
On Thursday 5 April 2007, ZK-DOJ, a Piper PA32S-300 Cherokee 6, was on a local charter flight from Queenstown with a pilot and 2 passengers on board. The flight was to include a landing and short stopover at Elfin Bay on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, before returning to Queenstown. During the landing at Elfin Bay, the pilot deliberately steered the aircraft off the side of the airstrip to avoid overrunning the end. The aircraft struck a fence and sustained moderate damage but there was no injury to the passengers or pilot.
The safety issues identified were aircraft braking technique and the need for a serviceable windsock to allow a pilot to make a more accurate assessment of the wind conditions. Safety recommendations were made to the Director of Civil Aviation to address these issues.
Related Recommendations
Use this accident to educate pilots on appropriate landing and braking techniques, especially for remote and restricted length aerodromes.
Require operators to provide an approved serviceable wind indicating device at remote airstrips used frequently for commercial operations, to allow pilots to accurately assess wind conditions for take-off and landing.