Hawkes Bay air accident

‘We were deeply saddened by the agricultural aircraft accident in Hawkes Bay this morning,’ said Aviation NZ Chief Executive John Nicholson.

Our hearts and sympathies go out to the family and friends of the pilot and loader driver, and to the Farmers Air family.

Agricultural aviation is very important to the productivity of the agricultural sector in New Zealand. Each year, almost 100 pilots carry out aerial applications through fixed wing aircraft, with about another 250 in helicopters, explained Nicholson.

The industry's safety record is very good. Over the last ten years the accident rate has been trending down. According to information produced by the Civil Aviation Authority and the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association, the accident rate for fixed wing aircraft currently sits at 2.16 accidents per 100,000 hours flown.

Agricultural operators have paid considerable attention to developing and implementing ‘safe’ practices. This is a major reason why the accident rate has improved so much over the last 10 years.

Farmers Air is a long standing and highly credible member of the agricultural aviation industry and has been at the forefront of improved industry processes.

The company has a modern fleet, puts considerable effort into training and has an excellent safety culture.

‘The accident will be fully investigated and, as an industry, we will learn from those investigations,’ concluded Nicholson.

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