Incident Overview
Description
Bristol 170 NZ5908 operated served with RNZAF 41 Sqn. On May 27, 1953 it operated on the regular transport supply run from Whenuapai Air Base to Ohakea-Royal AFB (OHA), Blenheim-Woodbourne (BHE) and Wigram Air Base. Group Captain R. Webb who was the commanding officer at Whenuapai also boarded the flight. He was not a qualified pilot on the Bristol 170 transport plane. On the return leg from Blenheim to Whenuapai he was at the controls in the left hand seat. The captain of the flight occupied the right hand seat and the navigator thus also had to move to a different position on the flight deck. The flight took off at 08:53 on an instrument departure to the east and soon entered clouds. Instead of continuing on runway heading until over Cook Strait, the airplane soon turned right towards high ground. The navigation instrument were not tuned into the correct beacon (Blenheim NDB). Six minutes after takeoff the airplane collided with Taylors Pass.
Primary Cause
Incorrect navigation instrument tuning leading to a deviation from the planned route.Incorrect navigation instrument tuning leading to a deviation from the planned route.Share on:
