Flight turned back to Christchurch may have hit light

An Air New Zealand flight that was turned back mid-way through a flight from Christchurch to Dunedin is believed to have hit a runway light.

Flight NZ5759 departed Christchurch just after 7pm yesterday, but turned around about 20 minutes into the flight because the pilots believed they had hit something during take-off.

An initial check of the aircraft found scuff marks on one of its tyres, suggesting it came into contact with a runway light, airline spokesperson Hannah Searle said.

The plane was checked by engineers and went back into service this morning.