The larger aircraft involved in the near-miss was a Q-300 similar to this one. Photo: 123rf
Near-miss prompts call for tougher airspace rules
Two planes with a combined 42 people on board came within 41 seconds of a head-on collision over Northland, a report from the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has revealed.
TAIC put the near-miss down to failures in the way New Zealand's airspace is managed.
The Commission found there had been no review of Whangārei airspace for more than a decade, despite increasing air traffic and a rule that airspace should be reviewed every five years.
Also alarming was the finding that no agency in New Zealand had responsibility for conducting such reviews, an omission the commission said needed to be addressed urgently.
According to the report, which was released on Friday morning, an Air New Zealand Q-300 with 40 people on board was flying south from Whangārei to Auckland on the morning of 28 August 2023.
Around the same time a flying school's Beech Duchess, with two people on board, was heading north from Ardmore to Whangārei using the same flight path.
The report stated the air traffic controller instructed both aircraft to descend into "uncontrolled airspace" and pass each other there.
That meant responsibility for avoiding a collision passed from air traffic control to the two pilots.
That was at the time a commonly used work-around, due to air traffic control workload and the limited amount of controlled airspace available for keeping planes apart.
Air space diagram showing the paths of the two aircraft on 28 August 2023. Photo: Supplied / TAIC
The Q-300 was flying in cloud at 6000 feet when the Beech descended to the same altitude in front of it.
Over the Brynderwyn Hills the Q-300 crew received an alert from the plane's airborne collision avoidance system (ACAS), described in the report as a "last line of defence".
Moments later an alert also showed up on the air controller's radar and the Q-300 was given clearance to climb to 8000 feet, above the approaching Beech.
The Beech did not have, and was not required to have, an ACAS system.
At the closest point the aircraft were 8km from each other - or just 41 seconds apart at their 700km/h closing speed.
"Closing speed" describes how fast two objects are approaching each other.
TAIC chief commissioner David Clarke said no one was hurt and no damage resulted, but it was too close.
"It happened because the controller or flight service officer hadn't provided sufficiently timely traffic information after sending both flights into uncontrolled airspace," he said.
"This left each crew flying in cloud, unable to see the other plane, unaware of the immediacy of potential conflicts, and the crew of the Beech poorly placed to coordinate their own avoidance actions."
Clarke said the 42 crew and passengers ended up in that risky situation due to long-standing weaknesses in the design of the Whangārei area airspace.
"Despite recurring concerns raised by pilots, controllers and the aerodrome operator, the North Sector airspace hasn't had a comprehensive review since 2014, even though reviews are required every five years."
Nor was the problem limited to Whangārei.
"It's a nationwide issue because New Zealand needs clear responsibility for conducting comprehensive airspace reviews," Clarke said.
TAIC chief investigator, Louise Cook told Morning Report there had been a large increase in flights since 2014.
Cook said it should look at how that airspace should be managed now to handle an increase in the number of planes in the area.
The Commission made a number of urgent recommendations as a result of the near-miss.
They included that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) carry out a full review of lower-level airspace around Whangārei and act on the findings.
The Commission also called on the Ministry of Transport to clarify which agency was responsible for ongoing nationwide airspace reviews, and ensure that agency identified any emerging risks before they led to more serious events.
In its response to the Commission, the CAA said it was working with Whangārei airspace stakeholders on safety improvements.
There had also been initial engagement with Kerikeri airspace users.
Throughout 2026 the CAA would carry out reviews of uncontrolled airspace at Timaru, Hokitika, Whakatāne and Kāpiti Coast aerodromes.
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