Safety claims 'flabbergasr'

Press, 28 September 1988, Page 10

Safety claims 'flabbergasr'

PA Wellington Claims that a stand-off between Civil Aviation safety authorities jeopardised safety had “flabbergasted” the Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Mr Ron Chippindale, he told a Court of Inquiry in Wellington yesterday. Mr Chippindale said the claims were the most disturbing feature of the inquiry into last year’s fatal Skyferry crash. He said senior staff of the Ministry of Transport’s Civil Aviation Division alleged at the inquiry that flight safety was threatened by a confrontation between the division and the Office of Air Accidents Investigation, and that he had made unfair allegations

about the division when recommending that the Attorney-General, Mr Palmer, consider setting up a court of inquiry into the accident. However, the Civil Aviation director, Mr Stuart Mclntyre, and flight operations manager, Mr Emrys Evans, had given him no indication they were concerned about a lack of co-ordina-tion over air safety. He rejected any suggestion the division had been stifled in implementing safety measures arising from the inspectorate’s investigations because his office had withheld information. “I am absolutely flabbergasted by the allegations made by Mr Evans and the director that we

do not provide him with information necessary to implement a safety recommendation. “If either were in any way concerned about a lack of co-operation on my behalf in matters affecting flight safety, I am very disturbed that they should delay making any comment about such a situation until giving evidence at this public forum. “I have always stated ... that the director is responsible for the safety of flight in New Zealand and I have striven to give him any support he has requested in relation to my office,” Mr Chippindale said. However, he said the statutory independence of his office had to be as-

serted, and twice this year he had declined requests by Mr Mclntyre to change published findings in air accident reports. Mr Chippindale said an inter-departmental review of air accident regulations recommended in 1983 that the inspectorate should report to the Attor-ney-General, rather than the Secretary for Transport and the Minister of Civil Aviation as at present. This recommendation had not been acted on, but he said regulations put him in a difficult position when he was required to report to the Minister on shortcomings in the Civil Aviation Division, yet recommend to, the Attorney-General that an inquiry be considered.

Questioned by Skyferry counsel, Mr John Wild, Mr Chippindale said he had recommended that the Attorney-General set up a court of inquiry into the fatal accident involv-. ing an Air Albatross Cessna 402 which hit wires over Tory Channel in 1985. Mr Chippindale agreed this accident was more serious in every way than the Skyferry crash last November 27. But he said that though both crashes highlighted concerns about the supervision of third-level airlines by the Civil Aviation Division and the Air Services Licensing Authority, last year’s accident had not been seized upon to address these concerns.