ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 46366
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| Date: | Sunday 18 April 1999 |
| Time: | 15:38 |
| Type: |  Cessna U206G Stationair f/p |
| Owner/operator: | Waterwings Airways (Te Anau) Ltd |
| Registration: | ZK-EKJ |
| MSN: | U206-04282 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mt Suter, Fiordland NP -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Te Anau |
| Te Anau | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On Sunday 18 April 1999 at around 15:38 hours, ZK-EKJ, a Cessna 206 floatplane on a round-trip scenic flight from Te Anau to overhead Milford Sound, struck the top of a vertical craggy mountain ridge and was later found to have crashed against the east face of Mount Suter (2,094 metres). The point of impact was apparently some 200 feet below the summit of the mountain and about 1 km to the east of the aircraft's expected track.
The pilot and four passengers died during the impact. The pilot probably attempted to cross the ridge crest at low level and might have misjudged the height of the ridge top because of visual illusions or distraction. Some localised turbulence or downdraughts and the fast speed of the aircraft may have contributed to the accident.
Had the pilot applied a safe ridge-crossing technique, including maintaining a sufficient height margin above the ridge, the accident could have been avoided. The pilot was reported to have carried out unnecessary low flying and crossing of ridge crests with minimal clearance on scenic flights, on a number of occasions over several years before the accident.
The operator did not adequately supervise the pilot, independently investigate an allegation of the pilot low flying, or establish a system to control or monitor the pilot's performance and compliance with safety requirements. The pilot's reported acts of unnecessary low flying were not made known to the Civil Aviation Authority. The operator's organisational shortcomings that probably contributed to the accident were not identified by or made known to the safety authority. Safety recommendations were made to the operator's chief executive and the Director of Civil Aviation to address safety issues identified during the investigation.
Sources:
1. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/corporate-aviation-accidents-and-incidents-1999-turbine-powered-66404/_/
2. http://flightsafety.org/ap/ap_apr00.pdf
3. http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/25-years-ago-may-1987-milford-sound.html
4. Accident Brief, Occurrence # 99/910 at www.caa.govt.nz/Script/Accident_Details.asp?Oc=99/910
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Nov-2008 10:35 | ASN archive | Added |
| 24-Jun-2016 21:41 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-Jan-2022 21:25 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 30-Jan-2022 21:26 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 02-Feb-2022 03:07 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 11-Feb-2022 09:05 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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