Pilot lands floatplane safely on Lake Rotorua after mid-air engine failure

Tourists on a Rotorua scenic flight got more adventure than they bargained for when the float plane’s engine failed mid-air.

The Volcanic Air pilot successfully landed the plane on Lake Rotorua and no one was injured.

The company and two regulatory bodies have opened investigations into the November 6 incident.

Volcanic Air chief executive Ian Jolly said the pilot’s training “kicked in”, allowing the aircraft to land “without incident” and its passengers to be returned safely to the dock.

He said the flight had been near the end of the tour when the de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter floatplane engine “lost power” mid-air.

The pilot was forced to execute a glide approach.

Descending toward Lake Rotorua, the pilot lined up a landing path not far from where the aircraft had taken off, and completed the glide landing.

Jolly said the incident “highlights the value of the high-quality training and regular proficiency checks all our pilots go through”.

Volcanic Air operated Rotorua’s only floatplanes alongside a fleet of helicopters, offering a range of scenic flights and air tours.

Jolly said the company had started an internal investigation and reported the incident to authorities, as was standard practice.

A live flight tracker showed the aircraft’s recorded flight path. Photo / Supplied

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission was notified of the incident on November 12 and was in the early stages of investigating.

A satellite image released by the commission, sourced from FlightAware24, tracked the aircraft’s flight.

Beginning over Mokoia Island, it headed southeast across Lake Rotorua, continuing south past nearby lakes, and then looped back toward the shoreline. The track ended shortly before the floatplane’s landing point near Sulphur Point.

A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said it was notified as part of the normal reporting process for “events that impact the safe operation of aircraft”.

The spokesperson said the investigation was still in its early stages and there was not yet enough information “to draw any conclusions”.

As a result, no safety alerts, advisories or follow-up actions had been ordered.

“Should any immediate safety concerns be identified, the CAA will take the necessary steps to share these.”

Darren Williams told the Rotorua Daily Post he filmed the plane during the incident on November 6.

“I heard the engine spluttering and backfiring, managed to get a video on my phone of it as the engine finally failed.

“It was over Glenbrae Resthome and the cemetery.”

Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.