Aviation investigator on trial for crash evidence forgery

The Cessna 152, which collided in mid-air with a helicopter, lies where it came to rest. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Civil Aviation Authority investigator accused of forging an email presented to an inquest for three men killed in a mid-air collision wanted to highlight safety problems with an aviation procedure involved in the crash, a court has been told

A videotape of the police interview of Peter James Kirker, 53, conducted in December 2011, was today shown as evidence at his Wellington District Court trial.

During the two-hour interview, Kirker - who is facing charges of forgery, use of a forged document and perverting the course of justice in relation to the email - apologised for sending the email under the name of Frank Sharp and repeatedly asserted that his intention was to bring attention to the "standard overhead joining procedure'' being performed at the time of the accident.

Cessna pilot Bevan Hookway, 17, was performing the manoeuvre at the time of the February 2008 collision at Paraparaumu. The two other men, flying in a helicopter, who died in the accident were flight examiner David Fielding, 30, student pilot James Taylor, 19.

When asked by Detective Sergeant Ian Martin, officer in charge of the case, about his motivations for sending the email and using a false name, Kirker said in the interview it was because he wanted information identified in his own report to be made available to the victims of the families and ultimately the coroner.

"If you go into the training manuals for instructors to students to teach students it doesn't articulate when it is risky to use the standard overhead joint [procedure] in the airfield.

"Ultimately, I was hoping that the inquest ... would come out in the need for a review of the training information used by instructors'' around the manoeuvre, he said.

Kirker told Mr Martin it was never his intention to mislead the Fielding family over the email by using the name Frank Sharp.

"I wanted to make sure that I kept some distance, kept myself anonymous,'' he said.

Frank Sharp was a manager of Professional Programmes at Massey University's School of Aviation at the time the email was sent by Kirker.

He told Mr Martin he had used the name to set up the anonymous Gmail account because it came to him at the time. The pair had previously worked together.

Judge Andrew Becroft is expected to give a judgement tomorrow following closing submissions.