At exactly nine minutes past 9am, the crowd of about 200 fell silent.
The howl of the wind was all that could be heard today as people bowed their heads and huddled to remember the lives lost in New Zealand’s worst domestic air accident.
Rain, fog, and low-hanging mist cloaked the Kaimāī Range, between Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, where Flight 441 crashed into the mountains. Today’s stormy conditions were similar to that fateful day the plane went down six decades ago.
On July 3, 1963, 20 passengers and three crew on New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC) flight NZ 441 died after the DC-3 Skyliner ZK-AYZ crashed. A public inquiry ruled the accident to be a result of stormy weather conditions and poor navigation technology.
Today, about 200 people, including family members of those who died, braved the wind and the rain at the Kaimāī air accident 60th anniversary commemoration service at a roadside plaque on Old Te Aroha Rd near Gordon.
A single fantail circled the crowd as Reverend Dr Richard Waugh began the morning’s ceremony by reflecting on the “tragic” event.
“We stand in solidarity and care as a community, and as a nation. We pay tribute to all those who died and we honour and cherish their memory,” Waugh said.
“The Kaimāī range DC-3 accident was a national disaster and I’m sure the prayer in all our hearts is that we will not see the like of it again and that it will continue to be unchallenged as our worst domestic air accident.”
The crowd watched on in solemn silence as family members, including Sandra Saussey, the widow of one of the pilots, Captain Enlarch, lay flowers and wreaths at the plaque. Saussey also read a Bible scripture, A Song of Ascents, underneath an umbrella to shelter her from the rain.
The distant rumbling of a DC-3 plane - the same model from nearly the exact time period as Flight NZ441 - could be heard and felt as a memorial fly-past interrupted the crowd as they sang the national anthem. Gasps could be heard as people pointed to a light signal beaming between the mountains, which was organised by the University of Auckland Tramping Club.
Matamata-Piako District Mayor Adrienne Wilcock, who spoke at the service, said today marked a significant day not only for the families affected but for the local community.
“How the locals rallied to support, to search... when rescuing became a recovery mission,” she said.
“We stand here at the memorial that was unveiled 20 years ago as a permanent and accessible reminder of the tragedy that occurred in the mountains behind us.”
Wilcock said the proximity to the Kaimāī Range dictated the weather patterns that locals “well understand”.
“And that sad day was no different. The geography delivers a variety of weather patterns, as you are experiencing now.
“It can also be shrouded in low cloud and fog that brings torrents of rain, or it can create winds of varying degrees - some strong enough to cause damage. While I do not live in the middle of the range, I live close enough to hear the sound of those winds.
“The memory of this accident will continue to be passed down for generations to come.”
Captain David Morgan, chief flight operations officer at Air New Zealand, said he was “deeply honoured” to be at the service.
“Air NZ has a deep sense of obligation to those people that were affected not only by this tragedy but by other tragedies that occurred in the aviation industry in New Zealand.”
Morgan particularly recognised Saussey, who had come all the way from Ashburton to be at the service.
“As with all accidents, this accident played an important part in Air New Zealand’s 83-year history.
“It is moments like these where we pause and remember what occurred and why it occurred, and it reminds us that aviation doesn’t come without risk. We have to learn from accidents - learn how events like this enable us to move forward and ensure that our customers and our crew and the whānau of those who entrust us to move their people safely comes first each and every time.
“On behalf of Air New Zealand, I do want to acknowledge the accident that occurred, I want to remember those who were lost and pay my deepest respects on behalf of the airline to the families and whānau here today.”
Following the commemoration service, a special event was held in Mount Maunganui to mark the unveiling of a permanent memorial at Classic Flyers Aviation Museum.
The display meant family members and the community can see and touch a tangible site with parts from the wreckage for the first time.
Classic Flyers chief executive Andrew Gormlie said the aim was to create a memorial with “tangible evidence in a quiet area for people to remember”.
The display includes the right-hand engine from the wreckage, right-hand landing gear and the rudder trim tab - the tail-end piece of the aircraft - recovered by Grant Horn and a team of four others.
Horn said he had the vision for a “number of years” to create a more accessible memorial after years of taking people, including family members of those who died, to the original site of the crash close to Mt Ngatamahinerua.
“It got me thinking - because it is so rugged up there, a lot people will be unable to make the journey and actually be part of things. Wouldn’t it be awesome if I could get something out... something tangible that people can connect to and touch.”
Horn said he hoped the memorial will help give family members a quiet place to “cope with the hurt” while the memories of those who died may “live on forever” for those affected by the crash as well as the wider community.
Shania Callender is a journalism student at the Auckland University of Technology. Shania attended the commemoration service near Gordon.
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