ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 76674
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| Date: | Saturday 4 September 2010 |
| Time: | 13:27 |
| Type: |  NZAI Fletcher FU-24-954 |
| Owner/operator: | Skydive New Zealand |
| Registration: | ZK-EUF |
| MSN: | 281 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Fox Glacier Airstrip, West Coast -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Parachuting |
| Departure airport: | Fox Glacier Airstrip |
| Fox Glacier Airstrip | |
| Investigating agency: | TAIC |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On 4 September 2010 the pilot of a Fletcher FU24 aeroplane with 8 parachutists on board lost control during take-off from Fox Glacier aerodrome. The aeroplane crashed in a paddock adjacent to the runway, killing all 9 occupants.
The Walter Fletcher had been modified from an agricultural aeroplane into a parachute-drop aeroplane some 3 months before the accident. The modification to the aircraft had been poorly managed, and discrepancies in the aeroplane?s documentation had not been detected by the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which had approved the change in category.
The new owner and operator of the aeroplane had not completed any weight and balance calculations on the aeroplane before it entered service, nor at any time before the accident. As a result the aeroplane was being flown outside its loading limits every time it carried a full load of 8 parachutists. On the accident flight the centre of gravity of the aeroplane was well rear of its aft limit and it became airborne at too low a speed to be controllable. The pilot was unable to regain control and the aeroplane continued to pitch up, then rolled left before striking the ground nearly vertically.
2015, oct: TAIC said today that it had changed its original finding that it was the weight and balance of the aircraft caused the crash.
It now says it is unlikely that either weight or balance was the primary cause of the crash.
Chief Commissioner Helen Cull QC told a news conference in Wellington, 28 oct 2015, she had complete confidence in her management team, even though there had been shortcomings with the crash investigation.
She said the true cause of the accident may never be known.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://taic.org.nz/inquiries?SkinSrc=[G]skins/taicAviation/skin_aviation
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/australian-among-plane-crash-dead/story-e6frf7jx-1225914174214
https://noticias.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/efe/2010/09/04/queda-de-pequeno-aviao-mata-9-ocupantes-na-nova-zelandia.jhtm
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10671204
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4333325/Fox-Glacier-crash-report-plane-off-balance
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/288291/no-apology-for-families-of-sky-dive-crash-victims
Images:
Hamilton 1998
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Sep-2010 23:43 | angels one five | Added |
| 04-Sep-2010 02:10 | flyernzl | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn] |
| 04-Sep-2010 02:43 | VHKDK | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Sep-2010 03:30 | angels one five | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 04-Sep-2010 14:59 | Anon. | Updated [Source] |
| 04-Sep-2010 18:15 | angels one five | Updated [Source] |
| 06-Sep-2010 02:19 | Anon. | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 06-Sep-2010 02:43 | TB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 09-Sep-2010 08:20 | flyernzl | Updated [[Time, Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source]] |
| 13-Sep-2010 18:02 | angels one five | Updated [Source] |
| 10-Nov-2010 16:33 | angels one five | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 11-May-2012 01:36 | harro | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Oct-2015 10:20 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Oct-2021 22:39 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 01-Feb-2022 10:11 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 11-Feb-2022 02:49 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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