| - | ACCIDENT DETAILS |
| Date: | June 09, 1995 |
| Time: | 0922 |
| Location: | Near Palmerston North, New Zealand |
| Operator: | Ansett New Zealand |
| Flight #: | 703 |
| Route: | Auckland - Palmerston North |
| AC Type: | de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102 |
| Registration: | ZK-NEY |
| cn / ln: | 055 |
| Aboard: | 21 (passengers:18 crew:3) |
| Fatalities: | 4 (passengers:3 crew:1) |
| Ground: | 0 |
| Summary: | As the plane approached Runway 25, the right main landing gear did not extend. While the captain continued the descent the co-pilot carried out the landing gear alternate extension checklist. The plane descended below the minimum safe step-down altitudes for the approach and struck the top of a ridge line. The captain did not ensure the aircraft intercepted and maintained the approach profile during the non-precision instrument approach. The captain's unwise decision to get the landing gear lowered without discontinuing the instrument approach. The captain's distraction from the primary task of flying the aircraft safely during the first officer's attempt to correct a landing gear malfunction. The GPWS warning may have come too late, apparently because it had trouble handling the uneven terrain in the area. As a result of the police investigation, Captain Garry Sotheran was charged in April 2000 with four counts of manslaughter and three counts of injuring passengers. After a six-week trial at the Palmerston North High Court in June 2001, the jury found Sotheran not guilty on all charges. |
Sources
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