Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

On Monday 14 April 2008, a brake pad calliper fell from a wheel set on the fourth car of a DMU passenger train at Sylvia Park. The brake calliper fell across the rail and derailed one wheel set on the train. The train was stopped, but not before the wheel set, plus another that subsequently derailed, had re-railed. The brake calliper fell because the securing key had either failed or worked loose.

An Embraer EMB-110P1 (Bandeirante) ZK-KIP, while approaching Auckland International Airport on the evening of 28 September 1994, experienced an undercarriage malfunction. The right main wheel could not be lowered by either normal or emergency means, and the aircraft was subsequently landed "wheels-up" at 1949 hours without injury to either of the two crew members on board. A safety issue identified was post-maintenance inspection.

On Tuesday 19 October 2004 at about 0840, express freight Train 952 collided with a stock truck and trailer at Browns Road level crossing in Dunsandel, between Rolleston and Ashburton. Flashing lights and bells protecting the level crossing were working at the time of the collision. The locomotive remained upright and on the rails but sustained major damage. The truck and trailer unit was extensively damaged. The locomotive engineer was uninjured but the truck driver suffered extensive injuries. The safety issues identified were:

[A preliminary investigation showed that the circumstances were not likely to have significant implications for transport safety. Consistent with section 13 of the TAIC Act the Commission discontinued the investigation and no report was published.]

On Saturday 5 September 2009 the Cessna 207 aircraft had been loaded with 5 passengers for a trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound. Owing to a faulty battery the aircraft would not start using the conventional key-start system.

After flying over the top of Mt Mantell at a height of about 5500 feet, the pilot descended close to the mountainside intending to fly alongside a rugged rock face at an elevation of approx 4000 feet. At the bottom of the descent, he raised the collective lever to level out and heard the engine rpm increase abnormally. The pilot landed without delay. The helicopter rolled onto its left side on the rough sloping terrain.

At approximately 1140 hours on Friday, 21 May 1999, northbound Train 902 operating as the Southerner passenger express overran its track warrant limit by approximately 2 km between Mosgiel and Wingatui on the main south line. The overrun occurred when the locomotive engineer was possibly distracted by other events after planning a track warrant renewal for a location which differed from the normal pattern.

On 2 July 2015 the container ship Madinah was preparing for arrival at the port of Lyttelton. Part of those preparations involved the bosun (deck crew foreman) and a deck trainee rigging the port-side accommodation ladder over the ship's side in readiness for the ship's docking.

At the request of the Kiribati Government, New Zealand provided a team to assist the Kiribati Government in its investigations into the sinking of the MV Butiraoi. The investigation team was seconded from TAIC to the Kiribati Government. The investigation was completed and a report provided to the Kiribati Government.

During an annual proficiency assessment, an air traffic controller lost situational awareness and a series of four incidents occurred, forcing the assessor to resolve the situation. There were no collisions and nobody was injured. Since then, the controller has passed annual proficiency tests; controllers reportedly benefit from mentoring and working together better; and ATC managers now have more time to focus on team and operational standards. TAIC made recommendations to resolve issues with air traffic congestion and controllers providing excessive traffic information.

On Friday, 16 April 2004, at about 1725, smoke was observed coming from beneath Train 2146 as it departed Newmarket. The train stopped at the next station, Boston Road. The passengers were evacuated and the fire was extinguished with the assistance of the New Zealand Fire Service. There were no injuries. The safety issues identified were: - the fittings connecting the oil inlet hose to the engine and the turbocharger - the shroud panels surrounding the auxiliary engine. One safety recommendation was made to the Chief Executive of Auckland Regional Transport Authority