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Flights were cancelled at Auckland Airport after a plane hit runway lights and water flooded the terminal.
More details have emerged about a dramatic plane landing that delayed multiple flights at Auckland International Airport.
A Boeing 777 from Melbourne lost control during wind gusts and torrential rain on Friday, damaging the plane’s undercarriage and six runway lights.
The damage caused major delays to flights, “impacting” international departures and large domestic flights.
The lights were fixed that evening, but widespread flooding in the international terminal then forced flights to be halted. They started up again on Sunday morning.
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The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has now opened an inquiry into the landing.
Chief investigator of accidents Naveen Kozhuppakalam said shortly after touchdown, the pilot briefly lost control of the plane and it veered away from the centre line of the runway.
“The pilot regained control, completed the landing and taxied the aircraft to the airport terminal,” Kozhuppakalam said.
POOL FOOTAGE
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins surveys the damage caused by the flooding in Auckland.
One tyre deflated during the landing.
No passengers or crew were reported to be injured.
Kozhuppakalam said he had appointed two investigators to the inquiry.
“The investigation team have expert knowledge of aircraft operations, engineering and maintenance,” he said.
Auckland Airport/Supplied
A raft of international flights in and out of Auckland were cancelled on Sunday morning.
“Their initial work will be to interview the aircraft crew, air traffic controllers, relevant airport staff and other witnesses.”
“They will also inspect the aircraft and runway systems, examining the site of the incident, obtaining any electronic recorded data and records.”
New Zealand Air Line Pilots Association President Captain Andrew Ridling said it was unfair to place blame on the pilot before any investigation had taken place.
“The Chief Investigator’s premature conclusion that the pilot “lost control” is in contravention to the Standards and Recommended Practice of aircraft incidents as promulgated in ICAO Annex 13,” Captain Ridling said.
Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Annex 13 states: “The sole objective of the investigation of an accident or incident shall be the prevention of accidents and incidents. It is not the purpose of this activity to apportion blame or liability,” Ridling explained.
“We really need to stress the need to avoid speculation and theories as to what happened before an investigation is complete.
“The NZALPA technical department is providing assistance to the crew and monitoring the progress of the TAIC investigation, including the quarantining of the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder,” Captain Ridling said.
Auckland Airport said on Sunday while international flights were able to resume, disruptions were likely to continue for several delays.
A spokesperson said international flights could leave the airport by 5am, while arrivals would start at 7am.
The first flight out was scheduled to leave at 6am.
However, the airport’s website showed a raft of flights had been cancelled on Sunday.
The spokesperson said anyone flying internationally should contact airlines for details.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission said it opened inquiries when it believed the circumstances of an accident or incident had – or were likely to have – significant implications for transport safety, or when the inquiry may allow the Commission to make findings or recommendations to improve transport safety.
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