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NZ officials place limits on planes for skydiving
Source: Agencies |
September 15, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
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NEW Zealand aviation officials urgently imposed passenger limits on certain skydiving flights yesterday but said the directive was a precaution and not confirmation that overloading caused a recent fatal crash.
Five New Zealanders and four foreign tourists died when their skydiving plane crashed shortly after takeoff from an airstrip near Fox Glacier township on South Island on September 4.
Skydive companies operating the same model planes in the crash, Fletcher FU24, were directed by New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority to limit to six the number of people in the main cabin.
While noting the action was precautionary, the authority said an initial investigation found that exceeding the FU24 airplane's rear center-of-gravity limits was possible during parachute drops.
"It is too early to confirm whether weight and balance issues contributed to this accident," said Transport Air Investigation Commission chief accident investigator, Captain Tim Burfoot. "But there is sufficient concern that a safety issue exists, which needs to be acted upon urgently by other operators of this aircraft type."
The directive also requires operators to weigh occupants and all their equipment, and to consider their positions in the plane when making calculations. That will help ensure the aircraft remains within its center-of-gravity limits for the whole flight, Burfoot said.
The Fletcher fixed-wing plane, designed and built in New Zealand, is popularly used for scenic flights and skydiving in the area around New Zealand's Southern Alps.
The commission's interim report was anticipated by the end of October, including any urgent safety recommendations, Burfoot said. A final report, with analysis and findings, could take two years.
Five New Zealanders and four foreign tourists died when their skydiving plane crashed shortly after takeoff from an airstrip near Fox Glacier township on South Island on September 4.
Skydive companies operating the same model planes in the crash, Fletcher FU24, were directed by New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority to limit to six the number of people in the main cabin.
While noting the action was precautionary, the authority said an initial investigation found that exceeding the FU24 airplane's rear center-of-gravity limits was possible during parachute drops.
"It is too early to confirm whether weight and balance issues contributed to this accident," said Transport Air Investigation Commission chief accident investigator, Captain Tim Burfoot. "But there is sufficient concern that a safety issue exists, which needs to be acted upon urgently by other operators of this aircraft type."
The directive also requires operators to weigh occupants and all their equipment, and to consider their positions in the plane when making calculations. That will help ensure the aircraft remains within its center-of-gravity limits for the whole flight, Burfoot said.
The Fletcher fixed-wing plane, designed and built in New Zealand, is popularly used for scenic flights and skydiving in the area around New Zealand's Southern Alps.
The commission's interim report was anticipated by the end of October, including any urgent safety recommendations, Burfoot said. A final report, with analysis and findings, could take two years.
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