Executive summary
On Thursday 3 May 2007 at about 2120, ZK-NGK, an Air New Zealand Boeing 737 319, en route from Wellington to Auckland, was landed at Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Base Ohakea as a precaution because of fumes in the cockpit from electrical burning. On board the aircraft were 121 passengers, 3 cabin crew and 2 pilots. Nobody was injured in the incident.
The electrical burning resulted from a coffee spill in the cockpit by a different crew about 4 hours earlier. As the coffee dried, the sugar content provided sufficient conductivity to bring about a slow electrical breakdown, which resulted in spurious warning light indications, electrical burning of an avionics component and an eventual short circuit.
Management of crew drinks in the cockpit was a known hazard that had been identified, documented and mitigated by standard operating procedures. A safety issue identified was the need for flight crew to make maximum possible use of available resources, including those beyond the cockpit, during emergency and non-normal situations.
Related Recommendations
Circulate a summary of this report to industry to highlight the safety benefits of using resources, both inside and outside the cockpit, to manage emergency situations.