About 326 planes and helicopters are grounded today until a plug in their fuel injection system is checked.
An emergency airworthiness directive was issued by the Civil Aviation Authority last night after US authorities recorded 18 incidents of a gasket inside the fuel injection system failing on some Lycoming engines, some Teledyne Continental reciprocating engines and some Superior Airparts reciprocating engines.
CAA spokesman Bill Sommer said the move would affect operators of some tourist flights and other commercial operators.
It doesn't affect aircraft powered by jet engines used in most domestic passenger services. The engines being checked are piston engines.
The directive was sent to 225 owners and operators of aircraft.
Mr Sommer said CAA did not like the word grounded but he said the aircraft could not fly until the plug in the fuel injection system was checked.
If the plug was loose it could let air into the fuel injection system which reduced the power of an aircraft and could cause engine failure, he said.
None of the recorded incidents was fatal.
The engines need to have been rebuilt, serviced, overhauled, repaired or bought new since August 22, 2006, to be affected.
The United States alerted New Zealand, Australia and other countries to the problem yesterday and New Zealand issued the directive as a result.
- NZPA