Air New Zealand Flight 4374
Air New Zealand Flight 4374 was a flight from Gisborne which crashed while landing at Auckland, killing two of the four on board.
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 17 February 1979 |
Summary | Crashed on landing |
Site | Manukau Harbour |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Fokker F-27 Friendship |
Operator | Air New Zealand |
Registration | ZK-NFC |
Flight origin | Gisborne Airport |
Destination | Auckland International Airport |
Passengers | 2 |
Crew | 2 |
Fatalities | 2 |
Injuries | 2 |
Survivors | 2 |
Aircraft
The Fokker Friendship F27-500 was eight years old at the time of the crash. Until 1977 the aircraft had been operated by the New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC).
Crash
At 14:28 the aircraft had descended to 3000 feet and the pilots deployed the flaps. The aircraft's speed was 165 knots, and increased to 211 knots; 2 minutes 14 seconds later the aircraft crashed into the harbour killing two, the captain and a passenger.
Cause
The investigation found that the crew were misled by a visual illusion during conditions of reduced visibility into believing they were at a safe height and failed to see the flight instruments sufficiently to confirm a safe landing path.