On 28 August 2023 an Air New Zealand Q300 passenger aircraft, ZK-NES, en route from Whangarei to Auckland, and a Beech 76 Duchess aircraft, ZK-JED, en route from Auckland to Whangarei, were on reciprocal tracks when reportedly a close proximity event occurred. The crew of ZK-NES took avoiding action. There was no collision, no damage, and nobody was injured.
The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) is investigating the occurrence. TAIC has requested assistance from the ATSB to download the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and assist with reviewing the flight data recorder (FDR) to assist their investigation.
To facilitate this support and to provide the appropriate protections for the information, the ATSB appointed an accredited representative in accordance with paragraph 5.23 of ICAO Annex 13 and commenced an investigation under the Australian Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.
Any enquiries relating to the investigation should be directed to TAIC.