Flight forced to turn back after midair discovery of second engineering issue

Flight NZ5771 from Napier to Christchurch circled multiple times off the coast before it was forced to turn back due to the discovery of a second engineering issue midair. Image / Flightradar24

A flight from Napier delayed due to an engineering issue was forced to turn around upon the discovery of a second engineering issue in the air on Tuesday.

Flight NZ5771 from Napier to Christchurch was due to depart at 6.30am, but was delayed until about 9.40am.

A playback of the flight on Flightradar24 shows the aircraft circle multiple times off the coast of Napier before returning 40 minutes after takeoff.

An Air New Zealand spokesperson said the flight was diverted back to Napier due to engineering.

“The flight was initially delayed as the engineering issue was identified prior to departure and it needed to be fixed,” the spokesperson said.

“A separate engineering matter arose shortly after take-off and the decision to return to Napier was made.”

“The aircraft will be taken into maintenance and inspected by our engineering team before it returns to service. Customers are being re-accommodated and we thank them for their patience and understanding.”

James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz