KEY POINTS:
Pilot error probably led to a plane crash off a Northland beach that killed two people, a Civil Aviation Authority investigation has found.
Pilot Hassan Khayami, 56, and Finnish tourist Jaana Kristiina Koskela, 24, died when the home-built Smyth Sidewinder plane they were in crashed into the Tasman Sea after taking off from Pouto Beach at the entrance to Kaipara Harbour on November 25, 2006.
The CAA's safety investigator Alan Moselen found there were no mechanical defects that could have caused the accident, the Northern Advocate reported.
Instead he found a series of human factors possibly contributed to the crash.
These included the pilot failing to carry out a thorough pre-flight check before taking off, the plane's speed brake was fully extended at take off, and the plane was climbing steeply before stalling and crashing into the ocean.
Mr Moselen said it appeared the accident happened after the plane entered "an incipient", a spin after stalling in a steep climb.
"As a consequence, it would have been difficult for the pilot to recover the aircraft in the height available," he said.
"Given that the speed brake was extended at the time, the resultant drag probably affected the speed at which onset of stall occurred."
While Mr Khayami was an experienced pilot with more than 910 hours of flying time, he had only 4.5 hours experience in the type of plane that crashed.
Mr Moselen also said in his report that Mr Khayami had been taking medication in the days before the accident, which could have contributed to his confusion as to his whereabouts.
- NZPA
