Plane veers off runway

All onboard escape injury when plane loses "directional control". Photo / Kellie Blizard

Flights delayed after airport emergency.

An Air New Zealand flight swerved off a runway sparking a full emergency at Auckland Airport yesterday.

The Taupo-bound plane was carrying 14 passengers including National MP Louise Upston and two pilots when the incident unfolded shortly before 3pm.

Passenger Adele Thurlow, of Taupo, said one minute they were speeding along the runway, the next the plane was standing in grass surrounded by fire engines.

"It taxied out to the runway," the 36-year-old said. "They accelerated ready to take off and the next thing it was just like a hand-brake turn in the car, at full-speed. Then badomp, badomp - into the grass." The plane had not become airborne and no one was injured.

Thurlow saw a man seated a few rows ahead of her adopt the brace position. She understood he was an off-duty pilot who'd noticed something was wrong in the cockpit.

Fire crews surrounded the plane.

"I was in the exit row. I was kind of hoping I could pop the door out and jump out the inflatable slide," she joked afterwards.

"The pilot's voice was very shaky. They turned off the engines, and radioed ahead and said there had been a loss of directional control."

The passengers were taken to the domestic terminal where they were offered medical checks and afternoon tea before boarding another plane at 4.30pm. Thurlow wasn't worried about flying again so soon after the mishap but said at least one other passenger seemed to be suffering mild shock afterwards.

She praised the pilots for their handling of the situation and bringing the plane under control.

"I felt bad for all the other planes that had been held up on their flights because the runway was closed for so long."

Air New Zealand issued a statement confirming the Vincent Aviation-operated Jetstream 31 plane flying the Eagle Air flight had aborted its take-off and left the runway.

"The details and cause of the incident will now be subject to a Transport Accident Investigation Commission inquiry," said spokeswoman Brigitte Ransom.