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“No Accountability in New Zealand” Fox Glacier Aviation Disaster
Bradley Coker was one of nine people killed in the Fox Glacier plane crash
The inquest into the deaths of nine people in the Fox Glacier plane disaster two years ago has been told there is ”no accountability in New Zealand“
In a letter from the parents of Bradley Coker, a British tourist killed in the crash it was revealed
“There have been without doubt major failings by the Civil Aviation Authority and there were major failings by the aircraft operators.”
It had been flown out of balance and overloaded 75 times, which meant such an accident was an “inevitable certainty”.
They called for law changes to ensure ”proper responsibility” to those who were involved, saying there was “no accountability in New Zealand”. Read more source
In an interview given to the BBC in May of this year Bradley’s family told reporters his death was one of many in the adventure tourism sector in New Zealand, one that is perceived to be poorly regulated and with a high accident rate. They gave this advice to viewers:
“To anyone thinking about going to New Zealand on an adrenaline sport think twice, the report is a catalogue of errors from both the CAA and the sky diving company” … regulations “not enforced”… “two of the tandem masters had actually taken controlled drugs before they got on the plane” (cannabis)
In a statement to the BBC, Prime Minister John Key said approximately 50 people had been killed in adventure tourism sector in the last 8 years.
New Zealand a “safe country”
Parents of another deceased tourist, Annika Kirsten due to return nome on 3 October but instead her ashes arrived in an urn on 18 September, also wrote a letter to the inquest
Her parents had encouraged her to travel to New Zealand, thinking it was a safe country.
Since the crash, they had suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome.
“Together, with our daughter, we lost our future, our sense of life and our hope.”
They blamed the CAA for failing to adequately supervise the industry and Skydive New Zealand for acting negligently.
“In the name of our daughter, we ask the responsible people, who are still alive to stand up to their responsibility and to tell the truth about their negligence in the inquest.”
A live streaming broadcast of the inquest may be found here http://www2.justice.govt.nz/courts/coroners-court/courtstreaming.html
New Zealand tourism a catalgoue of disasters and drug taking
The Fox Glacier crash was before the Carterton ballooning tragedy in which 11 people were engulfed in flames. The balloon pilot, Lance Hopping, was later found to have cannabis in his system at the time of his death. Remarkably, two of the jump masters in the skydiving crash were also found to have taken cannabis prior to the flight.
Adventure tourism must learn from NZ crash:
“THE authors of a report criticising aviation regulators following a skydiving plane crash in New Zealand that killed nine people, including two Australians, in 2010 say there are lessons to be learned by all adventure tourism operators.
The modified topdressing plane, carrying four foreign tourists, four tandem jumpers and a pilot, had too much weight in the rear of the plane when it tried to take off on September 4, 2010, causing it to rise very sharply and at too low a speed to be controllable.
NZ Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) investigator Ian McClelland says the plane flew regularly with eight passengers, producing too much weight in the rear of the plane, and the owners and pilot were not checking weight and balance as they should be.
But he also says regulation of adventure aviation was not what it should be, that the modifications to the plane were poorly managed, and discrepancies in the modification documents weren’t picked up by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) when it approved them.“The CAA lost the opportunity to correct the company’s errors,” Mr McClelland said…” more here
British FCO advice to travellers about New Zealand (May 2011)
“There have been a number of tragic accidents involving British visitors; these also include extreme sporting accidents. If you intend to participate in extreme sports do check that the company is well established in the industry and that your insurance covers you. If you intend visiting remote areas, check with local tourist authorities for advice before setting out. Ensure that you register your details with a Visitor Information Centre or family or friends. Weather conditions can quickly become treacherous in some areas so keep yourself informed of regional weather forecasts.”
“Many tourists safely undertake adventure activities in New Zealand. However, many adventure tourism activities have inherent risks, and there have been a number of serious accidents involving Australians and other tourists, some resulting in deaths. Some operators have been found to be negligent. You should be aware that safety standards in New Zealand’s adventure tourism industry may differ between individual operators and may differ from those in Australia.
Travellers need to make their own careful judgements about the risks involved in individual or group activities and of the safety standards of individual operators. We strongly recommend travellers inquire with individual operators about the safety standards adhered to, whether these standards are applied across the industry and the risks involved in the activity. We recommend travellers hold travel insurance and complementary accident or income protection insurance and understand what circumstances and activities are not covered by the policies.”
”I am German and have been in NZ for the past 4-5 years. I completely support this site and strongly confirm these allegatons. NZ has no control or standards and has minimum professionalism or competence…public transport, mobile phone service, administration, hospitals, immigration, you name it…I had it all. NZ is beautiful but things simply do not work. Be careful and and maintain some healthy common sense ’cause you cannot expect it vice versa.”
NZ Safety
A”nother dent in NZ’s undeserved international reputation! The word is getting out that New Zealand is a bit lax in the H&S area!
.
Blogs tagged ‘Adventure Tourism deaths‘ and these posts:
Fox Glacier Aviation Disaster “New Zealand Unsafe” (May 2012)
Excitor III and Mac Attack Companies Fined for Broken Backs (May 2012)
Harness Failure Leaves Woman Dangling At Nevis Bungy Swing (May 2012)
Carterton Ballooning Tragedy, Urgent Checks Follow Air Worthiness Concerns (Feb 2012)
Emily Jordan: Riverboarding Death By Misadventure. Tell Clients The Truth About The Risks. Staff Panicked (May 2011)
Sarah Bond Quad Bike Death – Prosecution Brought (August 2009)
Thrillseekers Adventure Ltd Fined For Bungy Fall (May 2011)
Tom Donaldson Inquest – Coroners Says ‘Warn Tourists’ (Nov 2010)
Wellington Reverse Bungy Closed Amid Safety Fears (Dec 2010)
Tourists Seriously Injured In Bay Of Islands Boat Incidents (April 2011)
Catherine Peters: Alistair McWhannell Guilty Of Manslaughter In Swing Bridge Death (June 2010)
Fox Glacier Plane Crash, Nine Dead Including Four Tourists (Sept 2010)
Tourists Injured in Queenstown Jet Boat Crash, Another Died Swimming With Dolphins (Nov 2010)
Australian Tourist Seriously Injured By Dophin Boat (Dec 2010)
Tourists seriously injured in collision between Outward Bound cutter and a Dolphin Watch Ecotours (Feb 2011)
Six students and teacher drown in outward bound activity (May 2009)
BBC Interview with family of Bradley Coker. Adventure Tourism must learn from NZ crash. Cannabis Use
The BBC has screened an interview with the family of Bradley Coker.
Bradley, a British tourist, died along with eight other people when a sky diving plane crashed over the Fox Glacier on the day of the Christchurch earthquake. His death was one of many in the adventure tourism sector in New Zealand, one that is perceived to be poorly regulated and with a high accident rate.
In a statement to the BBC, Prime Minister John Key said approximately 50 people had been killed in the adventure tourism sector in the last 8 years.
from the BBC interview with Bradley’s family:
“To anyone thinking about going to New Zealand on an adrenaline sport think twice, the report is a catalogue of errors from both the CAA and the sky diving company” … regulations “not enforced”… “two of the tandem masters had actually taken controlled drugs before they got on the plane” (cannabis)
.
For more about New Zealand’s drug problem read this report in the NZ Herald NZ’s world-high drug use no surprise – Experts
BBC:
“The family of a British man who was killed when the aircraft taking him on skydiving trip crashed in New Zealand, has called for a review of aviation safety to stop a further tragedy happening again.
Bradley Coker, 24, died on South Island in 2010 while trying skydiving, along with eight other people. An accident investigation report found a catalogue of errors.
Bradley’s father Chris, sister Elizabeth, and his girlfriend Hayley Denham, want safety to be reinforced in so-called adrenaline sports”.
.
Other countries who lost their nationals in the disaster have also reported on the crash, and on the official investigation into one of New Zealand’s worst air disasters.
The Fox Glacier crash was before the Carterton ballooning tragedy in which 11 people were engulfed in flames. The balloon pilot, Lance Hopping, was later found to have cannabis in his system at the time of his death. Remarkably, two of the jump masters in the skydiving crash were also found to have taken cannabis prior to the flight.
Adventure tourism must learn from NZ crash
“THE authors of a report criticising aviation regulators following a skydiving plane crash in New Zealand that killed nine people, including two Australians, in 2010 say there are lessons to be learned by all adventure tourism operators.
The modified topdressing plane, carrying four foreign tourists, four tandem jumpers and a pilot, had too much weight in the rear of the plane when it tried to take off on September 4, 2010, causing it to rise very sharply and at too low a speed to be controllable.
NZ Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) investigator Ian McClelland says the plane flew regularly with eight passengers, producing too much weight in the rear of the plane, and the owners and pilot were not checking weight and balance as they should be.
But he also says regulation of adventure aviation was not what it should be, that the modifications to the plane were poorly managed, and discrepancies in the modification documents weren’t picked up by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) when it approved them.“The CAA lost the opportunity to correct the company’s errors,” Mr McClelland said…” more here
British FCO advice to travellers about New Zealand(May 2011)
“There have been a number of tragic accidents involving British visitors; these also include extreme sporting accidents. If you intend to participate in extreme sports do check that the company is well established in the industry and that your insurance covers you. If you intend visiting remote areas, check with local tourist authorities for advice before setting out. Ensure that you register your details with a Visitor Information Centre or family or friends. Weather conditions can quickly become treacherous in some areas so keep yourself informed of regional weather forecasts.”
“Many tourists safely undertake adventure activities in New Zealand. However, many adventure tourism activities have inherent risks, and there have been a number of serious accidents involving Australians and other tourists, some resulting in deaths. Some operators have been found to be negligent. You should be aware that safety standards in New Zealand’s adventure tourism industry may differ between individual operators and may differ from those in Australia.
Travellers need to make their own careful judgements about the risks involved in individual or group activities and of the safety standards of individual operators. We strongly recommend travellers inquire with individual operators about the safety standards adhered to, whether these standards are applied across the industry and the risks involved in the activity. We recommend travellers hold travel insurance and complementary accident or income protection insurance and understand what circumstances and activities are not covered by the policies.”
”I am German and have been in NZ for the past 4-5 years. I completely support this site and strongly confirm these allegatons. NZ has no control or standards and has minimum professionalism or competence…public transport, mobile phone service, administration, hospitals, immigration, you name it…I had it all. NZ is beautiful but things simply do not work. Be careful and and maintain some healthy common sense ’cause you cannot expect it vice versa.”
NZ Safety
A”nother dent in NZ’s undeserved international reputation! The word is getting out that New Zealand is a bit lax in the H&S area!
.
Blogs tagged ‘Adventure Tourism deaths‘ and these posts:
Fox Glacier Aviation Disaster “New Zealand Unsafe” (May 2012)
Excitor III and Mac Attack Companies Fined for Broken Backs (May 2012)
Harness Failure Leaves Woman Dangling At Nevis Bungy Swing (May 2012)
Carterton Ballooning Tragedy, Urgent Checks Follow Air Worthiness Concerns (Feb 2012)
Emily Jordan: Riverboarding Death By Misadventure. Tell Clients The Truth About The Risks. Staff Panicked (May 2011)
Sarah Bond Quad Bike Death – Prosecution Brought (August 2009)
Thrillseekers Adventure Ltd Fined For Bungy Fall(May 2011)
Tom Donaldson Inquest – Coroners Says ‘Warn Tourists’ (Nov 2010)
Wellington Reverse Bungy Closed Amid Safety Fears (Dec 2010)
Tourists Seriously Injured In Bay Of Islands Boat Incidents (April 2011)
Catherine Peters: Alistair McWhannell Guilty Of Manslaughter In Swing Bridge Death (June 2010)
Fox Glacier Plane Crash, Nine Dead Including Four Tourists (Sept 2010)
Tourists Injured in Queenstown Jet Boat Crash, Another Died Swimming With Dolphins (Nov 2010)
Australian Tourist Seriously Injured By Dophin Boat (Dec 2010)
Tourists seriously injured in collision between Outward Bound cutter and a Dolphin Watch Ecotours (Feb 2011)
Six students and teacher drown in outward bound activity (May 2009)
Fox Glacier Aviation Disaster “New Zealand Unsafe” – Updated
Considering a holiday to New Zealand. Watch this video first and then visit this Facebook Page facebook.com/nzsafety
.
You may be forgiven for not remembering the tragic loss of life when a sky diving plane crashed on the day of the Christchurch earthquake, it probably got pushed out of the news where you are. Nine people died when an overloaded, converted crop dusting plane lost control over the Fox Glacier. For background read our blog Fox Glacier Plane Crash, Nine Dead Including Four Tourists (Sept 2010).
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission report into the disaster was released today watch Extended video: TAIC on plane crash and it wasn’t good news – not for the Civil Aviation Authority, nor Skydive NZ and certainly not for the people employed by them who were allegedly under the influence of drugs. The entire Adventure Tourism industry in New Zealand will be sucking in its breath over this.
Update: Hours later we learned that the pilot involved in the Carterton Ballooning tragedy in which 11 people died was also found to have cannabis in his system.
In a statement to the BBC, Prime Minister John Key said approximately 50 people had been killed in adventure tourism sector in the last 8 years.
From The NZ Herald
The report revealed the plane had been converted from a crop-duster to a skydiving plane only three months earlier by engineering company Super Air Limited.
It said the modification was “poorly managed” and the Civil Aviation Authority failed to detect discrepancies in documentation about the work.
Furthermore, the company operating the plane, Skydive NZ, had not completed weight and balance calculations before it entered service, meaning the plane was flown outside its loading limits every time it carried a full eight passengers.
The report also confirmed at least two of the skydive-masters had been taking controlled drugs and one had taken cannabis shortly before the flight. It called on the Government to introduce a rigorous drug and alcohol testing regime…
Now the Herald is running a story about the British father of one of the victims and his campaign to draw attention to New Zealand’s unsafe Adventure Tourism Industry, in the hope that he may shame the country into getting its act together:
The family of a British tourist killed when a skydiving plane crashed at Fox Glacier has launched an internet campaign claiming New Zealand is unsafe.
Chris Coker, whose 24-year-old son Bradley was one of nine people killed in New Zealand’s worst air disaster for 17 years, said his son’s death was “completely avoidable” and showed a lack of proper regulation and control…
And continuing in a course of action that is remarkably similar to that of Chris Jordan, father of another British tourist Emily Jordan whose death prompted a paper-pushing review and weak regulation of New Zealand’s adventure tourism industry…
“Mr Coker has written an emotional letter to Prime Minister John Keybegging for a review of aviation regulations, and launched a YouTube video and Facebook campaign critical of New Zealand safety standards.
Mr Coker told the Prime Minister that public and tourists in New Zealand were “not safe” and there was an overwhelming case for change in the way adventure sports are regulated.
Until action was taken, there was compelling evidence that young people should “think twice” before pursuing adventure activities in New Zealand…”
“Elizabeth Coker, Bradley’s sister and a UK lawyer, added that it was “natural” to expect safety and legal standards in Commonwealth countries to match those of the UK and this was not the case.
“You cannot sue for negligence in New Zealand and there is no criminal offence of corporate manslaughter,” she wrote. “In our view, this has had the effect of lowering safety standards in New Zealand.
“There is no ultimate sanction, either financial or criminal, on companies who ignore their duty to protect the public.
“This accident report backs our view that the legal system in New Zealand is weighted entirely against victims of accidents, and indeed the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office website warns UK citizens of this in giving startling advice about travelling to New Zealand.” (all quotes from the NZHerald)
You may also be interested in
Blogs tagged ‘Adventure Tourism deaths‘ and these posts:
Harness Failure Leaves Woman Dangling At Nevis Bungy Swing (May 2012)
Carterton Ballooning Tragedy, Urgent Checks Follow Air Worthiness Concerns (Feb 2012)
Thrillseekers Adventure Ltd Fined For Bungy Fall (May 2011)
Tom Donaldson Inquest – Coroners Says ‘Warn Tourists’ (Nov 2010)
Wellington Reverse Bungy Closed Amid Safety Fears (Dec 2010)
Tourists Seriously Injured In Bay Of Islands Boat Incidents (April 2011)
Alistair McWhannell Guilty Of Manslaughter In Swing Bridge Death (June 2010)
Fox Glacier Plane Crash, Nine Dead Including Four Tourists (Sept 2010)
Tourists Injured in Queenstown Jet Boat Crash, Another Died Swimming With Dolphins (Nov 2010)
Australian Tourist Seriously Injured By Dophin Boat (Dec 2010)
Tourists seriously injured in collision between Outward Bound cutter and a Dolphin Watch Ecotours (Feb 2011)
Excitor III and Mac Attack Companies Fined For Broken Backs
The Hole in the Rock. Take care on boat trips in NZ
Planning an adventure tourism holiday to New Zealand?
We say give it a miss and find somewhere where the industry is better regulated and has a lower accident rate.
When you participate in an adventure tourism activity wouldn’t you prefer to know that the people taking your money will take all practicable steps to ensure your safety?
InterCity Group,, the company behind the Excitor III fast boat rides in Northland, has been instructed to pay a total of $270,000 to three passengers whose spines were fractured during separate rides last year:
Petulia Patey says her life has changed forever since she broke her back during a holiday jetboat trip in the Bay of Islands last year.
InterCity Group was today ordered to pay $270,000 – including $60,000 to Mrs Patey – after three women broke their backs in two separate incidents in January and March.
The company earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to take all practical steps to ensure their employees’ actions did not harm anyone.
Mrs Patey and her best friend Amanda Lee suffered compression fractures to their vertebrae when the boat, the Excitor III, hit two big waves, causing the women to become airborne and slam into the seat.
The second charge relates to an incident two months later that left Brisbane health worker Jan Phillips with broken vertebrae… more here
For more about this story read our blog from April 2011: Tourists Injured In Bay Of Islands Boat Incidents – Updated
Also in court today was Seafort Holdings Ltd who was ordered to pay $90,000 to Catherine Cooke, 53, who was left a paraplegic after a rough trip on the Mack Attack pleasure boat in the Bay of Islands. The company was also fined 30,000:
“…Richard John Prentice of Seafort Holdings had pleaded guilty two charges two charges of failing to take all practicable steps to ensure that no action or inaction of any employee while at work harmed any other person and failing to notify the director of Maritime New Zealand of the occurrence of serious harm as soon as possible after the occurrence became known…” more here
Just days ago a young Australian woman Tarla Carpenter’s, swing harness failed at the Nevis Bungy.
A terrified Tarla was hanging by her armpits above the Nevis Canyon
Other boating ‘accidents’ involving tourists in New Zealand
63 year old Canadian tourist Richard Evans was killed in a jet boat crash in Tauranga Harbour in February 2011.
The same month there was a boating collision in the Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island. An Outward Bound cutter and a Dolphin Watch Ecotours boat came into contact, leaving one woman seriously injured and seven others requiring treatment for minor to moderate injuries.
n December an Australian doctor, 49 year old Catherine Carlyle from Adelaide, was flown to hospital with severe lacerations after coming into contact with a boat propeller in Ruakaka Bay, Marlborough Sounds.
Ms Carlyle hit the the boat’s prop as she jumped off the back of the Dolphin Watch Ecotours vessel, sustaining deep lacerations to her legs and a possible fracture.
Before that young American tourist Emily May Parker, from Denver Colorado, was found face down in Marlborough Sound whilst on a tour with Dolphin Ecowatch Tours in October 2009.
In November 2010 five people were taken to hospital when their Shotover Jet boat collided with a cliff wall near Queenstown, among them were tourists from Germany, the United States and Britain.
In September 2008, Chinese tourist Yan Wang, 42, was killed when a jetboat operated by Kawarau Jets flipped over in the Shotover River.
Since 1995 the NZ Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has investigated at least 20 occurrences involving jet boats.
Three involved high-speed rollovers: one each in 1997, 1998 and 2008.
The Commission made safety recommendations covering the fitment of rollover bars on jet boats operating on braided river systems and the need for accurate recording of passenger numbers on boats to assist emergency services. These three rollover accidents resulted in one fatality, five serious injuries and three minor injuries.
After series of fatal ‘accidents’ (mostly involving tourists) there was a wide ranging review of adventure tourism in New Zealand found gaps in safety. Following the review recommendations were made to introduce a registration scheme (not licensing) and mandatory safety auditing and regulations were recently introduced that will require operators to be registered and to undertake regular certificated safety audits.
Unfortunately the new regs didn’t take effect until October 2011 after which there will be a three year long period of grace before all businesses will be required to comply. More tragically, the ‘accidents’ keep on happening.
How many more will be injured or killed before all adventure operators and the regulation authorities get their act together?
- Caught by her armpits above the Nevis Canyon
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NZ Adventure firms ‘run by seat of pants’, say critics
Another Hot Air Balloon ‘Accident’ In New Zealand
Another ballooning 'accident' in NZ
We’re deeply concerned that there has been another hot air balloon accident in New Zealand, fortunately on this occasion no one was killed or seriously injured.
On Saturday 24 March 2012 a hot-air balloon coming into land with 18 passengers on board, crashed into pine trees which tore holes in the balloon. The snagging caused the balloon to tip onto its side.
“Passenger Savannah Hyssong says at least half the balloon hit the tree.
“There were massive holes. It freaked me out. The only thing I was thinking was should I jump out and grab a branch,” she told reporters.
A man was hit on the head by a branch and his seven-year-old daughter cried through the ordeal, Ms Hyssong said.
“There were sudden screams of panic. I think a lot of people were terrified.”
The balloon landed really hard. The basket tipped over with passengers landing on their backs, she said.
“It was insane. Freaky – scary as hell. That’s not the way it is supposed to be.” …read more Balloon passenger thought about jumping
The incident occurred in a field in Downs Rd near Eyrewell Forest. We believe that Ms Hyssong, who lives in Christchurch is originally from Chelsea, Michigan.
Details are sketchy and this may be all that you’ll be allowed to know as it is unlikely that a report into the crash landing will ever be made public. If we manage to find out more we’ll bring it to you.
This report appeared in The Press
“Civil Aviation Authority spokeswoman Emma Peel today said the weekend’s crash was being treated as a serious incident rather than a higher-level accident as it appeared there was no injury to passengers.
“Accidents findings were released only because they could be beneficial to the wider aviation industry, but incidents with hot-air balloons could often be related to an incorrect assessment of the weather, she said.
Investigators would talk to witnesses, the pilot and the company.
Peel said the investigation would be conducted from a desk in Wellington. No investigators would visit the site.
No action was being taken against Balloon Adventures Up Up and Away Ltd and it could operate flights as normal, Peel said… ” read more Balloon crash findings may never go public
In February of this year The Civil Aviation Authority recommended urgent checks of all hot air balloons in New Zealand after an inquiry revealed possible air worthiness problems.
The inquiry was launched after 11 people were killed in a hot air balloon fire in Carterton. Read blog Balloon Clips Powerlines, 11 People Killed In Fireball.
Until all hot air balloons in New Zealand have been checked to ensure they meet maintenance requirements our recommendation is to postpone or cancel your ballooning experience.
If the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) chief commissioner John Marshall, QC wouldn’t get into a balloon whose maintenance requirements hadn’t been met, why would you?
“The CAA said it had launched an investigation into the maintenance of hot air balloons in the wake of the TAIC report.
“The apparent breaches of the manufacturer’s procedures and the civil aviation rules are obviously sufficiently serious for us to make a recommendation,” Marshall said.
If he was a passenger and knew about the breaches, he would not have been willing to continue the flight.
“If I had known as a person about to get into a balloon that maintenance requirements had not been complied with, obviously, personally, I wouldn’t get into that balloon.”
Earlier, acting director of Civil Aviation John Lanham said the findings of the report were very serious…”
Find a safer way to enjoy New Zealand, and never assume that the safety standards that apply in your own country also apply there.
For more about hot air ballooning incidents in New Zealand read our blogs tagged accordingly, for adventure tourism ‘accidents’ in general read our Adventure Tourism and Safety page.
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