Danger alert in mountain skies

Photo / Supplied

Tourist mecca Queenstown's reputation as a dangerous area for flying has been underlined by the number of incidents reported but a new $3.5 million navigation system is likely to improve safety.

In the year to late August the Civil Aviation Authority was told of 115 incidents, Official Information Act figures released to the Herald on Sunday show. They include:

* An Air New Zealand aircraft on approach via Arrowtown comes within 250m of a hang glider.

* Air New Zealand plane and helicopter too close. Pilot has difficulty seeing helicopter but spots him from 60m above.

* A helicopter pilot is cleared to travel through an area where parachuting is in progress. The parachute plane passes right to left, 18 to 20m directly underneath the helicopter. It is too late for the helicopter pilot to take evasive action.

* A JagAir plane is cleared for take-off but crosses paths with an Alpine Choppers helicopter tracking from Remarkables Lodge to Deer Park.

* An air traffic controller gives permission for an Alpine helicopter to fly, despite a paraglider being "in the vicinity at an unreported proximity".

Because of the mountainous terrain, radar does not work in the area but the new system, called Wide Area Multilateration, which went live on August 2, allows air traffic controllers to see a 3D picture of the air space and where aircraft are.

Equipment in the Queenstown area transmits data to the airport control tower.

Queenstown Airport has about 50,000 aircraft movements and 700,000 passengers a year, a figure set to reach 2 million by 2037.

Auckland International Airport owns 24.99 per cent of Queenstown Airport Corporation. It bought the shares in July for $27.7 million and is seeking to increase its stake to as much as 35 per cent, paying $7.47 a share and a lump sum of $2.2 million for the extra shares.

Chairman Tony Frankham said the company did due diligence on its purchase and no concerns around safety at the airport were brought to his attention.

Aviation commentator Peter Clark says the number of incidents will be reduced with new technology.

"It is the toughest airport we have in New Zealand and you really have to know what you are doing.

"It's a very hard airport with a lot of movements and no radar coverage. It's all done using air traffic control and your knowledge of positioning."

Large aircraft had navigation equipment on board but smaller aircraft relied on radio links.

Of the 115 incidents, 63 were aerodrome or airspace incidents, 23 were bird strikes, 23 were aircraft defects, one involved dangerous goods, one a lightning strike, three security breaches and two doors opening after take-off.

Close calls

October 17: A traffic collision avoidance alert sounds when a plane and a helicopter come too close.

November 13: Two aircraft cross paths because information not passed between pilots.

November 27: Air NZ plane and helicopter come too close and spark a traffic collision avoidance alert.

January 16: Air NZ Boeing 737 and Glenorchy Air plane come close. Traffic details were delayed due to "management of other traffic."

February 4: A plane and helicopter too close, sparking a traffic collision avoidance alert. Plane pilot cannot see helicopter.

February 23: An aircraft over Walter Peak receives a warning it is flying too low.

March 12: An aircraft over Deer Park Hill receives a warning it is flying too low.

June 28: Jagair and Milford Sound Flights planes end up head on as Jagair taking off.

July 28: Aircraft and Boeing jet following too closely.