Accident Overview
On final approach to Paraparaumu Airport, an aircraft experienced a simultaneous failure of both engines. The captain managed to restart one engine, but the aircraft lost speed and altitude. During an attempted climb, the aircraft banked to the right and struck a house, shearing off approximately 12 feet of the right wing. The airplane then passed between two houses before crashing in a wooded area. The aircraft was destroyed. Three children were killed, and all other occupants sustained injuries, some of them serious.
Event Sequence
The accident occurred during the approach phase. Both engines failed at the same time. After restarting one engine, the aircraft could not maintain speed or height. While attempting to climb, a right bank developed, leading to impact with a house. The wing damage caused the aircraft to veer between two houses and ultimately come to rest in a wooded area.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the following: Throughout the flight or a substantial portion of it, both engines were drawing fuel from the starboard main tank. After the engines cut out, the selector valves were moved. When later examined, the valves indicated a final setting of each engine to its respective port and starboard main tank. Fuel usage records for the prior sixty hours showed normal consumption from each tank, with no malfunction of the selector equipment. The engine failure was due to exhaustion of fuel in the starboard main tank, to which both engines had been selected. Given the position and condition of the aircraft at the time of engine failure, the subsequent accident was inevitable.