On Friday 16 June 2000 at about 1515, the commercial jet boat "Huka Jet 1" with a driver and 7 passengers on board was proceeding at about 80 km/h through a section of the Waikato River known as “First Shallows” when the engine failed. As a consequence the driver lost all directional control and was unable to slow the boat. The boat collided with overhanging trees on the riverbank, slewed to the right, continued through the trees and grounded on the riverbank. Two of the passengers received minor injuries.
Safety issues identified included:
• standard fleet-wide modification made without fully considering the differing construction of each boat
• modification of the engine cooling system leading to the potential for air locks in the LPG regulator
• fitting of a critical component that was cracked.
