Ansett New Zealand Flight 703
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 5, 1995 |
| Type | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Tararua Ranges, New Zealand |
| Passengers | 18 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Injuries | 17 |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Survivors | 17 |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland DHC-8-102[1] |
| Operator | Ansett New Zealand |
| Tail number | ZK-NEY |
| Flight origin | Auckland International Airport |
| Destination | Palmerston North International Airport |
Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 was an Ansett New Zealand scheduled passenger transport flight from Auckland Airport to Palmerston North. On June 9, 1995, the Dash 8 aircraft flying this route crashed west of the Tararua Ranges and 16 km east of Palmerston North airport, during an instrument approach in bad weather. The aircraft was carrying 18 passengers and three crew members. All passengers were New Zealand citizens except for a United States citizen.
During the approach to a right turn which would place the aircraft on final approach to runway 25, the right landing gear failed to fully extend so the co-pilot began to manually extend it using a hydraulic pump. The aircraft's power settings had already been reduced to Flight Idle which was normal, but the aircraft was inadvertently allowed to descend too low[2] toward the undulating terrain leading into Palmerston North.
Although the aircraft's Ground Proximity Warning System sounded an alarm four seconds before the aircraft hit the ground, the crew was unable to avoid the accident. According to the Transport Accident Investigation Commission report an audio alarm of "Terrain! Terrain! <whoop> <whoop> Pull up!" should have sounded 17 seconds before impact, but the GPWS malfunctioned, for reasons which have never been determined. There was an investigation by the New Zealand Police in 2001[3] into whether or not a cell phone call from the aircraft may have interfered with the system.
The aircraft pancaked onto a hilltop and broke up as it slid along the ground, killing a flight attendant and three passengers and injuring all others on board. The aircraft, ZK-NEY, a de Havilland DHC-8, was manufactured in Canada.
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[edit] New Zealand Cross citation
Reginald John Dixon, a passenger on the flight, escaped from the wreckage with injuries but then returned to help other passengers until a flash fire critically burned him. He died from his injuries two weeks later.
For his bravery in a dangerous situation, he was awarded the New Zealand Cross, New Zealand's highest award for civilian bravery.[4]
[edit] References
- Dash 8 Down: the Inside Story of Ansett Flight 703. ISBN 1-86941-489-6. Guerin, Michael; 2001; Random House; 186pp; Paperback;
- ^ ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102 ZK-NEY Palmerston North
- ^ http://www.taic.org.nz/AviationReports/tabid/78/ctl/Detail/mid/482/InvNumber/1995-011/Page/14/Default.aspx?SkinSrc=[G]skins%2ftaicAviation%2fskin_aviation
- ^ Scoop: TV3 News
- ^ Recipients of the New Zealand Cross. New Zealand Defence Force. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
[edit] See also
- List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- Air New Zealand Flight 901
- New Zealand National Airways Corporation Flight 441
- Ground Proximity Warning System
