Incident Overview

Date: Sunday 19 March 1989
Aircraft Type: Britten-Norman BN-2A-21 Islander
Owner/operator: Sounds Air
Registration Number: ZK-SFE
Location: Tiraora Lodge – ÿ New Zealand
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6
Component Affected: Aircraft FlapsAircraft Flaps
Investigating Agency: TAICTAIC
Category: Accident
A pilot attempting to land at Tiraora Lodge experienced a near-miss due to low sun conditions and an unsuccessful approach. The aircraft executed a low turn to avoid high ground, striking a telephone wire, and descended into the sea. The accident was attributed to the pilot?s decision to continue to fly at 200 feet above the missed approach point, failing to assess runway position, threshold, or wind conditions. Contributing factors included the pilot?s lack of familiarity with the airstrip, inadequate training, incorrect flap position checks, and a lack of situational awareness regarding local winds.A pilot attempting to land at Tiraora Lodge experienced a near-miss due to low sun conditions and an unsuccessful approach. The aircraft executed a low turn to avoid high ground, striking a telephone wire, and descended into the sea. The accident was attributed to the pilot?s decision to continue to fly at 200 feet above the missed approach point, failing to assess runway position, threshold, or wind conditions. Contributing factors included the pilot?s lack of familiarity with the airstrip, inadequate training, incorrect flap position checks, and a lack of situational awareness regarding local winds.

Description

While attempting to land at Tiraora Lodge the pilot was dazzled by low sun and elected to overshoot. The aircraft made a low turn to avoid high ground, struck a telephone wire and descended out of control into the sea. CONCLUSION: The probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s decision to continue to fly the aircraft, at 200 feet amsl, past the point from which a missed approach could be successfully achieved, when he was unable to see the position of the runway, its threshold or the windsock. Other contributory factors were: The pilot’s unfamiliarity with the Tiraora Lodge Airstrip, The pilot’s inadequate training in strip operation and on the aircraft type The pilot’s failure to check the position of the aircraft’s flaps, visually, during the missed approach procedure when he believed the flap position indicator to be unreliable, The pilot’s unfamiliarity with the aircraft’s flap operating system, The lack of a suitable wind measuring device or other information on the local winds in the area and the presence of a substantial downflow in the area of the attempted missed approach, Obstructions within the obstruction free area prescribed for approved landing grounds, and The absence of supervision of the airline by the regulatory authority.

Primary Cause

Pilot?s decision to continue to fly at 200 feet above the missed approach point, failing to assess runway position, threshold, or wind conditions.Pilot?s decision to continue to fly at 200 feet above the missed approach point, failing to assess runway position, threshold, or wind conditions.

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