a ceiling which extends to Ardmore Aerodrome, the likely origin of the light aircraft.
Highly unlikely.. it probably was a aircraft doing a scheduled air transport VFR run to or from Great Barrier Island.. not every light piston twin out on the weekend is out on a jolly... some of us work for a living you know...
Doesn't sound like a TCAS avoidance manoeuvre. Only a see and avoid scenario would result in that type of flying, and even then only when you were really close
No, it may have been a TCAS RA manoeuvre. There is a history of aircrew over-reacting and over-controlling during TCAS R.As from around the world..
Excessive TCAS evasion injured 20 on Taiwanese 757: inquiry
Another case I recall on a E-Jet resulted in some hull damage and overstress in the States..
Although nothing as drastic in this case. Probably also helped that the cabin was probably secure during the approach and no one standing up...
I wonder if the A320 was cleared for a visual approach outside the 6 mile final for 23L...? Would put you in the area for a Barrier run aircraft around Panmure/ Mt Wellington but ATC often clear you only down to 2500 ft until established on final, then unrestricted... from memory, most runs to the Barrier maybe running around 1500 ft across town at that point...
(Don't get me started.. Visual approaches in a jet are a perfectly normal and safe manoeurve and if you can't fly one, you shouldn't be flying a jet)
Oh and what the h#ll is "lifting then circling"? Do the A320s have a helicopter mode?
mon dieu....