Cabin Smoke, Landing Gear Problems Force Diversion

An Air New Zealand 737 carrying 120 passengers from Wellington to Auckland was forced to divert to Ohakea for an emergency landing Wednesday, when smoke was discovered in the cockpit.

The flight was about 65 miles north of Ohakea air base about 9:30 pm local time, enroute to Auckland when the pilot reported electrical problems, smelled smoke and decided to make the emergency landing in Ohakea.

During the landing attempt, passengers told the New Zealand Herald the aircraft suddenly pulled up again. The pilot reportedly said warning lights indicated the landing gear wasn't down. The aircraft landed on the second attempt and passengers were evacuated without incident.

Air New Zealand spokesman David Jamieson said the pilot didn't land on the first approach because he was carrying out a series of checks to make sure the landing gear was, indeed, down.

"There was a certain smell of smoke in the air and we were under no doubt that this was the real thing," said passenger David Cunliffe.
Wayne Mapp said he did not see any smoke, but "when you start smelling smoke you realize there's something amiss."

Passenger Simon Lambourne said the aircraft accelerated out of the approach on the first landing attempt and the pilot announced they had been told the wheels were not down.

"It's not the best thing to have the pilot of the plane tell you there's electrical problems and then when you're coming down to land to be told there's a problem with the wheels... it was a bit nerve-racking for a while but we got there in the end," he said.

A licensed pilot himself, Mapp added, "Everybody was very calm and relaxed and everything was done very professionally."

FMI: www.airnewzealand.com/