Incident Overview
Date: Tuesday 8 August 1989
Aircraft Type: Britten-Norman BN-2A-26 Islander
Owner/operator: Aspiring Air
Registration Number: ZK-EVK
Location: Upper Dart Valley –
ÿ New Zealand
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10
Component Affected: Aircraft FuselageAircraft Fuselage
Investigating Agency: TAICTAIC
Category: Accident
An Islander ZK-EVK VFR scenic flight to Milford Sound failed to arrive, resulting in wreckage on steep snow-covered mountainous terrain at elevations up to 5400 feet. Major portions of the aircraft, including the fuselage, fell over precipitous bluffs following impact. The incident was attributed to a lack of operational or structural explanation for the aircraft’s impact on the mountain slope, the remote site’s lack of witness observation, and the absence of a survivor.An Islander ZK-EVK VFR scenic flight to Milford Sound failed to arrive, resulting in wreckage on steep snow-covered mountainous terrain at elevations up to 5400 feet. Major portions of the aircraft, including the fuselage, fell over precipitous bluffs following impact. The incident was attributed to a lack of operational or structural explanation for the aircraft’s impact on the mountain slope, the remote site’s lack of witness observation, and the absence of a survivor.
Description
Islander ZK-EVK departed from Wanaka on a VFR scenic flight to Milford Sound but failed to arrive. Wreckage from the aircraft was subsequently located on steep snow covered mountainous terrain at elevations up to 5400 feet. Following initial impact, major portions of the aircraft, including the fuselage, had fallen over precipitous bluffs. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The lack of direct evidence to account, operationally or structurally, for the manner in which the aircraft struck the mountain slope, the remoteness of the site which provided no witness observation to describe the aircrafts flight path prior to the event and the absence of any survivor, combined to preclude a determination of the accidents probable cause.”
Primary Cause
Lack of operational or structural explanation for aircraft impact on the mountain slope, remote site, and absence of a survivor.Lack of operational or structural explanation for aircraft impact on the mountain slope, remote site, and absence of a survivor.Share on:
