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Marine Kaikōura capsize: urgent safety issue with boat fuel systems

TAIC preliminary report, ongoing inquiry. 8m pontoon boat capsized. Skipper and five passengers rescued, five other passengers died. TAIC urgent safety recommendations: integrity & safety of fuel systems; thoroughness of surveys; sector acceptance of whole fuel systems being inspected

Composite image shows file shots of the two balloons in flight

Aviation Two final reports - Commercial hot air balloon pilots need to buckle up

Balloon landings are a safety-critical phase of flight. If anyone or anything is ejected from basket during landing, an accident is virtually certain because balloon is uncontrolled, passengers unattended. To avoid this, all balloon pilots should wear safety harnesses. Owners/operators should install them. Also passenger safety briefings must be clear, concise, easy for all passengers to follow.

Fig 9 from the TAIC report. Marine chart overlaid with approximate track of the boat as described by the witness in report paragraph 3.29, overlaid with aerial photograph to make it easier for sighted people to understand the location of the waves of the bar - over the shallow waters outside the harbour entrance

Marine TAIC calls for regulation of recreational boats and boating

TAIC reports on fatal capsize of recreational boat while crossing harbour bar. NZ needs to require boats to be registered, and we need minimum standards for boat design and construction, and we need to assess skippers for minimum standards of knowledge and boat handling. Or accept the current rate of 15-20 deaths a year.

the ruptured rubber expansion joint

Marine Preliminary report - maintenance for safety critical rubber expansion joints

Preliminary report in ongoing inquiry. For safety critical rubber expansion joints to be fit for purpose, maintenance schedules must account for date of manufacture as well as time in service. On Interislander ferry Kaitaki, one of these joints was too old when it ruptured. The cooling system failed, causing automatic shut-down of main and auxiliary engines. In foul weather, with 900 people on board, ferry drifted towards shore, anchored until repairs completed 1 hour later.

Annotated low-level aerial photo from TAIC report. Rail track extends diagonally from foreground in the bottom right corner, curving rightwards in distance. on both sides of hte track are rural paddocks, one with a small river meandering almost parallel to the track. On the track in foreground is locomotive and first towed wagon, both upright but derailed. Midground back along the track: freight wagons in disarray, various situations of derailment, some in the paddock. This the track ballast washout area.

Rail TAIC report: rising risks for rail infrastructure from climate change

TAIC rail safety report calls for new thinking for transport infrastructure to cope with climate change significant rainfall events. Floodwater washed out rail track ballast, freight train derailed.

a helicopter air ambulance sits on a patch of tussock grass. A large basket is by its side.

Aviation TAIC calls on CAA to resolve safety issues with night vision imaging systems

TAIC report: Misinterpretations on board a BK117 helicopter during VFR flight using night vision goggles led to controlled flight into terrain (Southern Ocean sea). All 3 on board survived. Safety issues for CAA: requirements and technical standards for NVIS and helicopter air ambulance; crew resource management training and qualifications for non-pilots acting as crew members; guidelines for crew members assisting a pilot during NVIS ops.

photo of the ferry - about 13 metres long - soon after the accident, still afloat. The port side is in splinters and the wheelhouse is destroyed. Photo of the stricken ferry, a 44' wooden construction vessel with a 'classic' look, built in 1944. View is square-on to the port side. Almost all of the port side above the waterline and forward of amidship is a mess of fractured timber and splinters, as is the wheelhouse and the forward part of the open shelter for passengers.

Marine TAIC investigating collision, ferry and recreational boat, Bay of Islands

TAIC appealing for witnesses who saw, photographed or videoed the two vessels that collided in the Bay of Islands on Thursday 13 April 2023. Commission is opening an inquiry into the accident reportedly involving the collision of a recreational boat with a passenger ferry about midway between Russell and Paihia.

Photo of the crash scene

Aviation TAIC reports on helicopter accident at Kekerengu, December 2020

TAIC report: Top priority for all pilots when flying is to fly the aircraft. All pilots should know the aircraft they are flying, their own capability, the increased risks of flying at low level, monitor performance of aircraft accordingly.

Rail TAIC Report focuses on KiwiRail's 'Permit To Enter' system

TAIC rail safety report: Safety system compliance and fees should be reasonable and not deter anyone from complying. KiwiRail was unaware a road-marking crew would be working on a level crossing; they had not applied for a permit to work there.

Graphic superimposed on sattellite map of Cook Strait and Wellington harbour. Depicts route and speed of the ferry before, during and after the incident.

Marine New TAIC inquiry: Interislander ferry Kaitaki loss of power

The Interislander ferry MV Kaitaki lost power at about 5pm on 28 January 2023. It was en-route from Picton to Wellington with about 800 passengers and 80 crew on board when it suffered a main engine failure and loss of propulsion. It dropped anchor and onboard engineers restored power about 2 hours later. The vessel, escorted by tugs, proceeded to port. TAIC is appealing for videos or photographs from ferry passengers and residents of Wellington’s South Coast.