Illegal flight to N.Z. by disturbed woman

Press, 14 May 1985, Page 8

Illegal flight to N.Z. by disturbed woman

PA Auckland A mentally disturbed woman who illegally boarded an aircraft in Hawaii was taken into police custody after it landed at Auckland. The incident, the fourth since the beginning of April in which airline passengers from the United States arrived in Auckland without documentation, was revealed yesterday. The woman, in her early 30s, was found on board a Pan Am flight which landed at Auckland Airport on May 9. On April 20, a man came

to New Zealand on a Pan Am flight from Honolulu to Auckland without a ticket, and on April 1 and April 27 Air New Zealand brought two passengers into the country without documents. In the latest case, the woman apparently approached the airline’s staff in Honolulu waving some form of ticket and crying. She was in a distressed state, and convinced them to allow her on board. An aviation industry source said last evening that the woman’s presence on the aircraft was later overlooked and she kept

quiet throughout the journey.

The woman was taken into police custody under immigration legislation. An application from her to stay in New Zealand was refused. Mr Mitchell said the woman had only a purse and small shoulder bag with her, and one identity card which showed she was from Honolulu. She was taken to the Otahuhu police station and examined by a doctor, who confirmed she was slightly mentally disturbed.