Passengers jump for it as plane fills with smoke

Nearly 100 passengers - some clutching infants - plunged down inflatable chutes after acrid smoke started filling a Boeing 737 during an emergency landing at Auckland Airport yesterday morning.

Flight NZ503 was about 10 minutes into its flight when the pilots noticed an electrical fault in the cockpit and passengers were told that the Christchurch-bound plane would have to return to Auckland.

Current affairs journalist Cameron Bennett, one of 94 passengers on board, said the plane seemed to take a long time to gain height.

Then, after about 10 minutes into the flight, it appeared to be off the correct flight path.

"Airline staff came down and told us there was a problem with the aircraft and we were going to make our way back to the airport," said Bennett.

"It was a textbook landing, no problem at all, but as we were cruising down the runway this acrid smoke started coming in.

"We all realised there was a problem and the smoke was quite sharp, quite pungent.

"The air hostesses started to look a little bit alarmed as well."

Bennett said the plane pulled off the main runway and staff told people to "unbuckle and get off the plane".

Passengers including mothers carrying infants, and some elderly, jumped down the emergency inflatable chutes and were greeted by firefighters and Air New Zealand staff.

Bennett said people were mostly calm during the evacuation but he believed they started feeling a bit shaken up as reality sunk in, especially given the proximity to the anniversary of September 11.

Staff were unable to tell passengers exactly what had happened but there was a suggestion at one stage it could have been oil residue blowing through a fan, although Bennett felt that was unlikely.

"There was a good deal more smoke than just oil residue," he said.

The cause of the electrical fault and subsequent smoke is being investigated by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.

An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said passengers who elected to continue flying were accommodated on other services.

They were also given a letter acknowledging travel plans had been disrupted and that staff would make contact to offer support and discuss any concerns.

The spokeswoman said four other domestic flights were also cancelled after the emergency landing but the 300 passengers on the planes were rebooked on other services within about an hour.