Airbus jet in a 'terrifying' near miss

Air New Zealand Airbus A320. Photo / Supplied

An Airbus A320 took swift action over the Hauraki Gulf to avoid colliding with a light plane on a scenic trip.

Air New Zealand flight NZ938 was filled with families returning from Easter holidays in the Gold Coast. Passengers said they were terrified, clinging to their seats as the plane sharply altered course.

Air traffic control authority Airways NZ is to investigate what it describes as a "potential safety event", after the paths of the jet and a small plane bound for Great Barrier Island crossed about 4.30pm on Friday.

The pilot of the international flight had just announced they were only 10 minutes away from landing at Auckland International Airport, when the big plane suddenly took evasive action.

Passenger accounts varied: some felt the plane had plunged, others that it had climbed sharply.

One passenger, Deborah Sylvester, 34, said it felt like the steep run on a rollercoaster.

"It was very sudden. Both going down and back up were steep. You got that feeling where you lost your stomach.

"I closed my eyes and hoped for the best. I was holding on to the chair in front of me very tight. You knew this was more than a bit of turbulence."

She said the pilot explained over the intercom that a small plane had been flying at an unsafe altitude.

"His words were 'We were on a path to collision'," she said. "I didn't see how that could have ended well, but he sounded very calm and I think that helped make people feel better.

"I'm just very grateful for the technology that picked up the other plane."

Her husband Andrew Sylvester was watching a music video of Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer when the plane throttled suddenly out towards the sea for about six seconds.

"The climb back up was pretty solid. The engine was working hard," he said.

"The wife absolutely freaked. Everyone was looking at each other. No one was sure what was going on."

He added he was impressed with the pilot, who seemed "cool, calm and collected".

The A320 and the small craft were within range of the air traffic-control centre at the time.

Lew Jenkins, group manager of traffic-control company Airways NZ, believed the planes had not come within the 150m vertical distance prohibited under aviation law.

"It was looking to being a potential safety event," he said. "At this point, we don't believe there was a breach."

Airways NZ will begin its investigation tomorrow.

In a written statement, Air New Zealand spokeswoman Tracy Smeaton said the A320 was on approach to Auckland International Airport, descending through 3000 feet, when a cockpit indicator detected a smaller aircraft close by.

She said the aircraft then lifted while circling to avoid the other plane. The go-round could accentuate the "feeling of change" for passengers, she said.

"The pilot applied thrust to climb 1000 feet higher to ensure adequate altitude was maintained between the aircraft," Smeaton said.

"The aircraft circled to recommence the approach and land."

Civil Aviation Authority spokeswoman Emma Peel said Air New Zealand, Airways NZ and the pilot of the light craft would be required to notify the authority about the incident within 12 days.