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An Air New Zealand 777-300 likely veered off the runway at Auckland Airport due to a late transition away from the autopilot, investigators have determined.
ZK-OKN was operating flight NZ124 from Melbourne when it drifted from the centre line and onto a sealed shoulder in January 2023, hitting six runway lights and damaging several tyres as well as a brake assembly and wiring harness.
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Australian Aviation’s Blair Dods was on board the flight, and said at the time that the plane was being affected by heavy rain, wind and turbulence.
“We landed just as the storm was intensifying and it wasn’t until we were a few metres above ground that we could see the runway. Even then, the rain was so heavy we couldn’t really see anything out the window,” he said.
“The landing felt different from normal, but it was so hard to see anything that it was difficult to get a full perspective of it. If we had been able to see clearly, I think there would have been a lot more panic.
“There were a few gasps and people looking around, but there was zero mention of it by the pilots or the attendants after the event.”
According to the NZ Transport Accident Investigation Commission, the heavy rain “likely contributed to the decision to disengage the autopilot low in the approach”.
“The timing of the autopilot disengagement combined with the technique used by the pilot flying, very likely resulted in there being insufficient time to correct the flightpath of the aeroplane before landing,” the TAIC wrote.
“The pilot flying was therefore unable to prevent the aeroplane drifting away from the centreline before landing and stop it veering off the runway after landing.
“The weather, while inclement, was above the minimum weather requirements throughout the approach and landing. The Commission found it exceptionally unlikely that the heavy rain contaminated the runway to the extent that it caused the runway excursion.”
The Commission said that while it was “exceptionally unlikely that poor briefings contributed to the runway excursion”, the briefing for the approach and landing “did not meet the operator’s guidelines”.
“Operator and aircraft manuals and procedures are designed to help ensure an aircraft is flown as safely as possible in both normal and adverse circumstances. Knowledge and understanding of these documents, complemented by an appropriate recurrent training programme, helps mitigate the risk of an adverse outcome,” it wrote.
“It is important that crews act in a cohesive manner and are as prepared as possible for any unforeseen eventualities. A good briefing, which is a core element of crew resource management, helps ensure a crew has a shared mental model, that critical factors are identified and any risks reduced to acceptable levels.”
Air New Zealand has since amended its operational procedures and information.
“It has provided training to reinforce the technique for the smooth transition from autopilot to manual control,” the Commission said.
