Fire claim irks Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand has taken issue with a report published by an Austrian-run aviation website. File photo / Sarah Ivey

Air New Zealand is furious about an aviation website's report that flames flared from the engine of one of its aircraft.

The Aviation Herald said flames were seen from the engine of an Airbus A320 that left Brisbane for Norfolk Island last Saturday.

The airline said the report was incorrect and wanted the website owner, aerodynamic engineer Simon Hradecky, to amend it.

But Hradecky, who runs the site from Austria, said at least one passenger told him of seeing flames on NZ746, and air traffic control recordings backed up those reports.

"It is clear that what the passenger reported matches the picture of our information," he told the Herald on Sunday.

He said he was ready for a scrap with the airline.

"If Air New Zealand wants to go after me in court, fine."

Hradecky said the airline hadn't given him evidence his report was false and until it did, the report would stay online at his site www.avherald.com.

The Aviation Herald, which has around 10,000 viewers a day, has been cited in overseas media reports about air traffic incidents and disasters.

"I have several sources," Hradecky said. "It's absolutely reliable information. It was obviously a compressor stall. It was not an engine fire."

An airline spokeswoman said one of the engines experienced a short power fluctuation.

"The pilot could have continued on to Norfolk Island without issue, but made the right decision to return to Brisbane where engineering support is more readily available."

Air New Zealand chief pilot Captain David Morgan questioned Hradecky's credibility and said the Aviation Herald never contacted the airline before publishing the report.

"I intend to write to him because ... aviation safety depends on good, accurate information so people can learn from events."