What happened
On the morning of 3 31 March 2006, a topdressing operation was underway near a hill range located approximately nine kilometres southwest of Kaitaia. The day began at 0600 hours, with the pilot and a loader-driver traveling from Kaitaia aerodrome to a farm airstrip near Pukepoto Quarry. The initial task involved spreading roughly 25 tonnes of superphosphate. Following this, the crew began spreading a new delivery of lime on a property near the base of the hills.
During the morning, the crew briefly relocated to an airstrip near Broadwood to reposition a fertilizer truck for the following day's work before returning to the Pukepoto Quarry airstrip by 1100 hours. During this period, the pilot consulted with a Chief Pilot via telephone regarding the best spreading direction, noting that the lime was not flowing smoothly from the hopper. The Chief Pilot advised spreading in line with the hill range rather than up the slope due to the lime's poor flow properties.
After a lunch break involving refueling and further lime deliveries, the afternoon session commenced. During the break, the pilot had a telephone conversation with a bank manager regarding business finances; while the loader-driver noted the pilot appeared agitated during this call, the pilot seemed to have regained composure before flying.
Witnesses observed the aircraft performing its initial passes of the afternoon. One observer noted the aircraft flying parallel to a tall tree plantation toward the rising hills. An eyewitness reported seeing fertilizer dropping as the aircraft flew up the slope, but the discharge then ceased. The aircraft was then seen performing a steep right-hand turn away from the slope while descending. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground in dense bush, resulting in one fatality.
Findings
- The pilot had previously noted that the lime was clogging the aircraft's hopper, requiring multiple passes to empty the load.
- The pilot had been advised by a supervisor to avoid flying up the slope due to the difficult flow characteristics of the new lime.