No, it wasn't me

[ZK-MAT]

photo Beth McGregor


ZK-WNZ, a Britten-Norman BN2A-27 took an unexpected try at becoming a float plane yesterday morning. It's being lifted out today, unfortunately I am in the office at the moment otherwise I'd be there watching!

Link to Article

[squirrel350]

Hey Matt I wondered if you were out and about flying when I got the e-mail it said sole occupant so I knew it wasnt you.

I have another question for ya me and the mate Im coming to NZTG with want to find the DC-3 crash site on the kaimais do you have any idea where it is or any one that does.????

SQ350

[ZK-MAT]

No mate, I must admit I don't know anything about it ... if anyone would know, it would be Lawrie (Snowman)!

[Dreamweaver]

Im coming to NZTG with want to find the DC-3 crash site on the kaimais do you have any idea where it is or any one that does.????

The place you want to go is Gordon near Matamata, there is a memorial which shows a direct line of sight to the accident spot which is on a steep Cliff face so you can not actually reach the exact spot.

If you interested in other locations as well then up the Mountain Road, Ohakune is a plaque near the location of the Locheed Electra that crashed in october 1948 also over on the slopes of Mt Tranaki/Egmont the remains of several Aircraft lost during war training missions back in the 1940s. So I can not remember the exact story of why these planes crashed or how many but the DOC office for the area has more information. I remember speaking to a DOC guy who had been in several national parks and located some of these wrecks. Most of the information is pre internet and word of mouth.

[ardypilot]

Well at least the pilot landed the aircraft safley without getting anyone hurt.

I wonder if that Islander will ever be flown again?

[Charl]

I wonder if that Islander will ever be flown again?

That all looks about as gentle as you get, to me - BN2's are strong, and all the bits are still there.
Didn't hear anything about the pilot, hope it's nothing worse than a very red face

Whatever the outcome, it lives on in the sim

[Dreamweaver]

Doubt it, reading the latest news reports the pilot/owner thinks its going to be parts after the tide has washed through it a couple of times.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/sto ... d=10417105

But Mr Ensor, who walked away unscathed after his crash-landing, did not hold out much hope.

"It's looking like it's going to be parts now because the tide's running through it. The water's waist-deep out there."

[ZK-MAT]

The video link on the Stuff URL shows it with water up through the cabin after they tried to float it off. I wouldn't say a plane that has had salt water through it would be cleared to fly again, we write cars off that have been in the drink.

[squirrel350]

Thanks for the Info Dreamweaver looks like we will be going for a hike the pilot from work went up there and had a look.

[Codge]

Just going off memory here but I think the Kaimai's DC3 accident was a real hard slog to get to on foot. You would have to be very keen and very fit to get there!
And that is if it is still there! it may have been removed but probably not, why would it but you know how beaurocracy is!
Regards Codge

[ardypilot]

that is if it is still there! it may have been removed but probably not

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealan ... Flight_441)
Due to the remoteness of the crash, the wreckage was not recovered but secured on site by the New Zealand Army in 1964. This is similar to the New Zealand's other major air disaster, Air New Zealand Flight 901, which also remains on the slope where it crashed.

[ardypilot]

By the way...

Doubt it, reading the latest news reports the pilot/owner thinks its going to be parts after the tide has washed through it a couple of times.

On TV3 news tonight, they said now that it has been lifted by heli to Hamilton airport that it may be up and flying again within a week! Don't know anyone who would want to fly in it though The pilot has had his licence suspended apparently!

[Craig]

A pilot who crash-landed his nine-seater plane on mudflats near Tauranga has been banned from flying.




His company is also in trouble amid revelations authorities grounded it last month and have now done so again.

Paul Ensor, 40, alone in the Britten-Norman Islander, walked away scot-free yesterday after he was forced to bring the aircraft down in Te Puna estuary near Tauranga, after aborting a flight to Hamilton.

Initially praised by witnesses for landing the plane safely, Mr Ensor has now had his licence suspended by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) director Russell Kilvington.

Mr Kilvington has also grounded Mr Ensor's company Island Air Charter for 10 working days.

In further bad news for the company, its new chief executive and maintenance controller "“ appointed just last month to allay CAA concerns "“ quit in the wake of yesterday's incident.

CAA spokesman Bill Sommer said Island Air Charter previously had its operating certificate suspended briefly in November and last week performed two "precautionary landings".

The Bay of Plenty Times today reported one of those, when Mr Ensor was also at the controls, was on December 22 at Waihi.

Another pilot made a landing on Boxing Day off Great Barrier Island.

Mr Sommer said CAA had grounded Air Island Charter's last month over maintenance concerns.

"They took some action to replace personnel and put in place new personnel to make sure the maintenance was going to be carried out correctly."

With yesterday's resignations, Mr Kilvington had again suspended the operating certificate.

Mr Ensor was also under investigation, Mr Sommer said.

"We were concerned with allegations that have been made about him and carrying out unauthorised maintenance on aircraft."

An Island Air Charter spokesman was yesterday abusive when contacted by NZPA, refusing comment and declining to pass any message on to Mr Ensor.

Another spokesman, the company's second in command Paul Sanson, later phoned to apologise but declined to talk about the crash landing.

"Nothing can be said "“ it's illegal for us to disclose any information because we weren't there at the scene anyway."

The company's website says its four pilots have a combined 25 years of experience, and its three planes are available for flights around the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and islands.

Mr Ensor told the Bay of Plenty Times his 17-year flying career had been trouble-free until yesterday.

"Every time you take off and land you think about engine failure.

"It is part of your checks and is a continuation of what you do. I was a little worried at the area I had to deal with. It was the final option.

"Once it was obvious what was happening I tightened my seatbelt and had a good landing."

The plane stuck fast in the mud and was kept afloat overnight by drums secured by Tauranga firefighters.

Mr Sommer said the plane had today been removed from the mudflat by a large Russian-built Mil-8 helicopter.

"It wasn't deeply embedded in the mud "“ they managed to put some strops on it and they pulled it out of the estuary at the first attempt."

It had been taken to Hamilton where CAA inspectors would de-contaminate it and then try to determine what caused the engines to cut out.

As the wings and engines were relatively high on the plane, salt water would not have reached areas critical to the CAA investigation.

The plane was worth about $250,000.

Link

[ZK-Brock]

Hmm, so basically his license was suspended because he performed unauthorised maintenance? I suppose that's fair, though I think if he was set straight with a fine he would get the message quickly.

[Dreamweaver]

I just watched the TV3 report

http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/NationalNews/ ... fault.aspx

Choose you words carefully Trolly they said it could possibly be up in the air within a week.

Although I doubt it would be considering the company is grounded for 10 working days which is about the 14th? Good to see the MIL from Taupo getting a work out rather than gathering dust.

I get the impression that the CAA may have to clamp down harder on commercial operators after the spat of near misses? Add this one to the incident at Ardmore with the Mountain Air Aztec collapsing a gear, the Ruapehu Incident the media is now in a feeding frenzy for any mistakes or accidents involving a Light Aircraft.

Funny a pilot walks away from a incident and they are a hero give the reports time to be looked at and things look a bit more avoidable

[ardypilot]

Choose you words carefully Trolly they said it could possibly be up in the air within a week.

Um, you read my words carefully, I said "that it may be up and flying again within a week" with may being the key word there...

Funny a pilot walks away from a incident and they are a hero

I havn't heard anyone say he was a hero yet. That was said about the guy who crashed his chopper into the Ruapehu crater lake- then walked on a broken foot/leg to get help...

[Dreamweaver]

Please read within context.

Yesterday Paul Ensor was praised by the way he landed the plane, Bruce Lilburn was called a hero for crashing into the crater then getting help.

My point is when a pilot walks away from a scene they are regarded as being heroic in the efforts to put the aircraft down but days later something always comes out that questions how the incidents happened.

This discussion has been raised on a forum elsewhere that we (the Public) often take the media perception first. The more witnesses to a incident or spectacular the more news worthy. The Piper Aztec got barely a mention because it is a relativly normal occurance (sort of) and no one was injured and it was within the boundaries of a Airfield near a major holiday when the skelton staffed media was concentrating on the christmas road exodus.

The hero of the Ruapehu crash might not be looking so heroic with what was not reported by media just yet either. But this again is not news worthy or basically fell ouside the 48 hour interest window of us the public. One of the accounts from one of the survivors makes interesting reading in NZ womans weekly. Some of the earlier accounts of how they were rescued are conflicting. The investigation will make some intersting reading according to a friend at DOC.

Myself I read the official reports first or between the lines of the media stories comparing what is fact or just media hype.

One last point is that the operations of Paul Ensors company reminds me of the incident that caused the Piper accident a few years ago in Christchurch. Aircraft crash pilots make mistakes (there only human) but operators who bend the rules? Would you fly with a Aircraft operator who has been placed in the CAA spotlight?

[ardypilot]

This discussion has been raised on a forum elsewhere

Yes I read your post on PPRUNE

[Dreamweaver]

This discussion has been raised on a forum elsewhere

Yes I read your post on PPRUNE

This was discussed within a yahoo group I am not a member of Pprune. I thought Pprune was for proffesional pilots? Being a gamer I avoid the confusion that simulators create seen that happen all to often when reality clashes with fantasy.

[Charl]

Mr Kilvington has also grounded Mr Ensor's company Island Air Charter for 10 working days.

Good to see some direct and firm action from the CAA.
With a new Chairman, and Director, the new brooms look set to sweep clean.
There have been issues with the CAA for some time, here's hoping they will work more closely with the industry to make aviation safer, and more reasonably accessible, in NZ.