What happened
During a scheduled charter flight from Milford Sound to Queenstown, two separate aircraft collided while cruising through the airspace near Milford Sound. The first aircraft, a Cessna 207 with registration ZK-DQF, was operated by Air Fiordland and was carrying one pilot and six passengers. The second aircraft, also a Cessna 207 with registration ZK-DAX, was operated by Milford Sound Scenic Flights and carried one pilot and four passengers.
Following the mid-air impact, the pilot of ZK-DAX managed to execute an emergency landing, though the aircraft was subsequently destroyed. However, the aircraft ZK-DQF entered a steep dive and crashed, resulting in seven fatalities among the occupants. All five individuals on board the second aircraft were successfully rescued following the incident.
Findings
Investigations into the collision identified several contributing elements to the accident. A primary factor was that neither pilot observed the other aircraft sufficiently early to avoid the impact. This lack of visual awareness was exacerbated by restricted cockpit visibility for the pilots and a failure to maintain an effective lookout. Additionally, the incident was influenced by high traffic density in the area and the unplanned merging of two different flight paths, which had been necessitated by a change in route following deteriorating weather conditions.