An Air New Zealand Beechcraft plane was forced into an emergency belly-landing in June 2007 because of a fatigue crack in part of its landing gear, according to the findings of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.
The crack on the starboard side caused hydraulic fluid to escape and meant the pilots could not activate the landing gear, either automatically or manually, investigators said.
Fifteen passengers and two crew were on board the Timaru to Wellington flight operated by Eagle Air when the pilots realised they had a problem with the landing gear.
They circled Wellington airport several times before deciding to make an emergency landing at Blenheim's Woodbourne airstrip, the Marlborough Express reported.
The pilots were more familiar with Woodbourne and visibility on the day was better there than in Wellington.
In what was described at the time as a "textbook" wheels-up landing, the plane landed skidded 400 metres, obliterating the propellers and damaging the engines and the underside.
Both passengers and crew escaped uninjured.
- NZPA
Fatigue crack forced plane's belly landing - TAIC
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