Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III ZK-RCA, bird strike and loss of both engines, Tauranga Aerodrome, 9 March 2001
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
Legacy Inquiry Number
01-002
On Friday, 9 March 2001 at 0922, ZK-RCA, a Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III operating as NZ 2703 from Auckland, struck a flock of birds on landing at Tauranga Aerodrome. During the ground roll the left-hand engine failed and the aircraft was brought to a halt to complete the engine shutdown checklist. While taxiing to the terminal the right-hand engine spooled down. The 16 passengers were disembarked and the aircraft was towed to the terminal. ZK-RCA’s left-hand engine was replaced and the aircraft returned to service after 3 days. There were no injuries.
The left-hand engine failed as a result of the damage caused by the bird strikes. The right-hand engine spooled down probably as a result of the crew selecting the fuel shutoff for the right-hand engine by mistake.
Safety issues identified were the use of the checklist by the crew, the ergonomics of some cockpit switches on the Metro III, and the bird hazard at Tauranga and nationally. The operator completed several safety actions and a safety recommendation was made to address these issues.
The left-hand engine failed as a result of the damage caused by the bird strikes. The right-hand engine spooled down probably as a result of the crew selecting the fuel shutoff for the right-hand engine by mistake.
Safety issues identified were the use of the checklist by the crew, the ergonomics of some cockpit switches on the Metro III, and the bird hazard at Tauranga and nationally. The operator completed several safety actions and a safety recommendation was made to address these issues.
Location
Tauranga (-37.672849,176.189375) [may be approximate]