Incidents
In 1949 when a Lodestar from Whenuapai (Auckland) crashed into the Tararua Range. Paraparaumu Tower had cleared the aeroplane to fly under Visual Flight Rules when the cloud base was below 800 m and did not ascertain that the aeroplane turned east into the ranges instead of out to sea near Kapiti Island to line up with the main runway.
In 1952 a DC-3 experienced engine failure when about to land on Runway 34, and ploughed into a house in Kohutuhutu Rd, Raumati Beach. Three children on board died in the fire that followed (there were no flight attendants on domestic flights until 1956), but the captain helped everyone else to safety.
On 6 November 1970, Douglas C-47B ZK-AXS of the Ministry of Transport was damaged beyond economic repair during a downwind simulated takeoff, when the undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft was operating a training flight. The fuselage was subsequently used for fire training purposes, and was last reported to be at Wellington.
On 17 February 2008, above an adjacent hardware store, Placemakers, there was a triple-fatality mid-air collision between a Cessna 152 and a helicopter, both of which plummeted from approximately 1500 ft, the helicopter into the store and the plane into a nearby street. No one on the ground was injured.
Read more about this topic: Kapiti Coast Airport
Famous quotes containing the word incidents:
“An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)