Inquiries & Recommendations

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In February 2017 the crew of the passenger cruise ship Emerald Princess were re-pressurising the gas cylinders after maintenance, when the cylinder burst below its normal operating pressure, causing the death of a nearby crew member. The cylinder had been weakened by corrosion. The inquiry report highlights a lack of global minimum standards for inspection, testing and rejecting pressure cylinders for stored energy systems on lifeboat launching installations – a system common on cruise ships.

A refuse collection truck entered a level crossing, very likely without stopping at the Stop sign, and was struck by a log train. The truck driver died in the accident. Even if the truck had stopped, the view lines weren’t good enough for the truck to clear the crossing if a train had been just out of view. Legislation is unclear on allocation of responsibility for safety of crossing users. Road users must be cautious. Wearing seatbelts will increase the chances of survival.

A pair of coupled loco-motives ran through wrongly-set points, dislodged fail-safe equipment, and carried on into a maintenance depot, shunting a maintenance vehicle into a rail wagon. There were no injuries. The wrong-routing happened because nobody checked to ensure correct setting of the points, and local procedures to prevent wrong-routing did not conform fully to KiwiRail rules. Safety actions taken by the operator precluded any need for recommendations.

TAIC has published its Final Report on the immobilisation and tagging of an Auckland metropolitan passenger train in September 2017. TAIC recommended that the train operator improve training for train crews, including liaising with emergency services. A fast and efficient emergency response depends on first responders receiving clear, concise and timely information.

A Robinson R44 helicopter crashed into dense bush in Glenbervie Forest near Whāngārei. The two occupants – the pilot and a forestry contractor – died in the crash, and the helicopter was consumed by fire. Crash and fire damage destroyed evidence, so the cause or causes could not be determined. The Commission has previously recommended that recorders be fitted to certain classes of helicopter to aid accident investigation.

On Monday 12 February 1996 at about 2240 hours, Hughes 369D helicopter ZK-HLE, on a night rescue flight, collided with trees and the ground, and caught fire. The two crew were killed. Reduced visibility in poor weather was probably a factor in the collision. The details of the flight leading to the collision were not established.

While off loading a sling-load of bales of seaweed the pilot sensed a transient "buzz" from the tail rotor which disappeared with the application of yaw pedal. On the transit back to the pick up point at about 200 feet amsl and 60 knots IAS there was a brief, high frequency, vibration throughout the airframe followed by a loud noise. The helicopter's nose pitched down sharply. A witness on the beach saw the tail rotor separate and fall, apparently intact, to the sea.

The homebuilt aircraft, which had been constructed by the owner pilot, was observed taking off from Culverden to return to Christchurch. The take-off and initial climb appeared normal but at a height of about 200 feet agl the engine was heard to falter and misfire. The aircraft entered a spin to the left and collided with the ground just north of the aerodrome. The pilot and passenger received fatal injuries.

A Hughes 369D helicopter collided with two 11,000 volt electric power conductors on 14 March 1994 at Mohaka near Wairoa. The safety issues identified were the need for detailed preparation before engaging in low level air transport operations, the permissive operation of low level air transport operations and the marking of long spans of wires above wide valleys.

Shortly after a night take-off from Auckland Airport the aircraft descended to collide with a bank at the aerodrome boundary before a second collision with the water surface of Manukau Harbour. The three crew were killed in the accident.

A skydive tandem pair crash-landed into a lake following a double parachute malfunction. The tandem rider’s lifejacket did not properly inflate, and the rider was lost in the lake, presumed deceased. Parachutists everywhere need to practice water landings, which are even riskier than you might think. TAIC recommends changes to aviation rules and incident reporting.

Circumstances of this fatal helicopter crash into dense forest included: risky take-off towards and over treetops; old worn engine lacked power; and aircraft not airworthy. Also private pilot licence conditions breached (flying for payment or reward). Lessons about obeying Civil Aviation Rules; reporting concerns; CAA monitoring of nominally private aviation participants.