The Steam From the Coffee !!
From NZ (granny) Herald
10.06.2003
By SCOTT MacLEOD and LOUISA CLEAVE
When Anne Berg's flight out of New Plymouth was delayed by mechanical problems last night, she sat in the airport lounge and watched television news coverage of Friday's fatal crash.
Her family, sitting with her for the hour and a half the repairs took, jokingly asked her if she was still keen to be flying.
Twenty minutes into her flight to Auckland the plane filled with smoke and the pilot announced they would make an emergency landing.
Mrs Berg was one of 23 passengers who spent a nervous 15 minutes flying into Auckland Airport last night after the pilot shut down one of the two engines as a "precaution".
The Air New Zealand flight, NZ8812, was scheduled to leave New Plymouth at 6pm but was delayed for mechanical reasons. The shutdown occurred about 8pm.
Emergency services were put on standby before the aircraft landed safely.
The emergency came just three days after a light plane crashed near Christchurch Airport, killing eight people in New Zealand's worst air disaster in 10 years.
The Saab 340 involved in last night's emergency was run by Air Nelson, owned by Air New Zealand.
Airline spokesman Glen Sowry said the aircraft flew for 15 minutes on one engine. He said the pilot shut the other engine down after the oil temperature condition indicator was activated. It was too soon to know if the indicator light was at fault or if there was an oil pressure problem.
Mrs Berg, 68, is heading to Cairns today. She said she was relieved to get off the plane once it landed.
Another passenger, 51-year-old Orlando Ladlad from New Plymouth, said he initially wasn't concerned because he could not hear the inflight PA system properly and did not know the pilot had announced he was turning off the engine.
However, he had noticed the smoke filling the cabin and a strong burning smell. "I just thought it was the steam from the coffee the stewardess was serving," he said.
Mr Ladlad said he realised the seriousness of the situation when he saw fire engines and emergency vehicles lined up along the runway as they came in to land.
All of the passengers clapped after the smooth landing.
Mr Sowry said the Saab was able to fly "perfectly safely" on one engine and pilots trained in simulators for such