Gisborne Herald
  • Gisborne Herald Home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Gisborne
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Hawke's Bay

Media

  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Gisborne Herald

CAA investigation into light aircraft crash: fuel found in one tank but not the other

Gisborne Herald
24 Oct, 2023 09:18 PMQuick Read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌

Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The Civil Aviation Authority has released its findings into a light aircraft crash in the Waimata Valley last year.

An investigation was started after an Air Ruatoria Cessna P206E suffered an engine failure while cruising at 2500 feet (762 metres) on October 18, 2022.

“Trouble checks did not rectify the engine failure,” the CAA investigation found.

“The pilot declared a Mayday then they carried out a forced landing into a paddock. On touchdown the aircraft struck a tree and came to rest upside down. The pilot wasn’t injured but the aircraft was significantly damaged.

“The pilot had departed with about 75 litres of fuel onboard, and the aircraft had been airborne for approximately 22 minutes before the engine failure. The post-accident inspection didn’t uncover any pre-existing defects in the airframe, the engine fuel or ignition systems, or in any of the mechanical components of the engine.

Keep up to date with the day's biggest stories

Sign up to our daily curated newsletter for the day's top stories straight to your inbox.
Please email me competitions, offers and other updates. You can stop these at any time.
By signing up for this newsletter, you agree to NZME’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“The aircraft was fitted with long-range fuel tanks, which had a higher quantity of unusable fuel compared with standard fuel tanks.

“After the accident, fuel was found in one of the tanks but not the other. It is possible that with the fuel onboard on departure, the selected tank was depleted after 22 minutes at low altitude, causing the engine to hesitate and then stop.

“When the pilot changed tanks during the trouble checks the fuel boost pump may not have been turned on, which could have prevented a successful restart of the engine.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

At the time, the pilot told The Gisborne Herald he considered himself “very fortunate” to have escaped injury, and also to have not hurt anyone else.

See also: www.gisborneherald.co.nz/news/pilot-sent-out-mayday-call-as-engine-failed

Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Gisborne Herald

Gisborne Herald

'We'll keep discussions up': Gisborne's push for regional deal

10 Jul 06:00 AM
Gisborne Herald

'Major leap forward': Mātai says new MRI method improves multiple sclerosis detection

10 Jul 04:00 AM
Gisborne Herald

Gisborne port handled 233k tonnes of logs, despite rough weather

09 Jul 10:15 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Te Pāti Māori selects former broadcaster for Tāmaki Makaurau byelection
Politics

Te Pāti Māori selects former broadcaster for Tāmaki Makaurau byelection

10 Jul 08:58 AM
France overhaul squad for second All Blacks test
All Blacks

France overhaul squad for second All Blacks test

10 Jul 08:13 AM
Man sentenced for taking boy to secluded spot and photographing him without togs on
New Zealand

Man sentenced for taking boy to secluded spot and photographing him without togs on

10 Jul 08:00 AM
Inside the world’s swankiest ski hotels
Travel

Inside the world’s swankiest ski hotels

10 Jul 08:00 AM
State of emergency declared for Tasman region, severe weather warnings across NZ
New Zealand

State of emergency declared for Tasman region, severe weather warnings across NZ

10 Jul 07:04 AM

Latest from Gisborne Herald

'We'll keep discussions up': Gisborne's push for regional deal

'We'll keep discussions up': Gisborne's push for regional deal

10 Jul 06:00 AM

First MOUs signed with Auckland, Otago Central Lakes and Western Bay of Plenty

'Major leap forward': Mātai says new MRI method improves multiple sclerosis detection

'Major leap forward': Mātai says new MRI method improves multiple sclerosis detection

10 Jul 04:00 AM
Gisborne port handled 233k tonnes of logs, despite rough weather

Gisborne port handled 233k tonnes of logs, despite rough weather

09 Jul 10:15 PM
'Really talented' young jockey dies in Hamilton dirtbike crash

'Really talented' young jockey dies in Hamilton dirtbike crash

09 Jul 10:05 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Gisborne Herald
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Gisborne Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search