Pilots’ mistake on Sydney to Auckland flight could have caused engine failure, investigation finds

The pilots on a Sydney to Auckland flight narrowly avoided a disaster after one crucial error before take-off.

A plane flying from Sydney to Auckland risked engine failure high above the NZ city because the crew did not turn on crucial fuel pumps before the flight, an investigation has found.

The Boeing 737-484S operated by Airwork Flight Operations Limited had two crew on board – a training captain and first officer – when it flew across the Tasman in June 2022.

New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC), which released its findings on Thursday, said the crew had “very likely” been distracted when they failed to switch on the fuel pumps for the centre tank, which carries additional fuel for long-range flights – such as Sydney to Auckland.

While the cargo plane landed safely, things could have turned out very differently.

The crew failed to switch on the centre fuel pumps which could have led to engine failure. Picture: Transport Accident Investigation Commission

The Commission concluded that when the aircraft flew into Auckland during bad weather on June 7, it was a “real possibility” the aircraft would have needed to be diverted or do a go-around (abort its landing), and if so, there would have been “very real potential for an engine failure” as fuel in the main tanks would have been exhausted.

“The risk that we put ourselves in by not turning those pumps on was that had we have had to do a go-round we’ve put ourselves in a situation that may have been critical,” the captain said, according to the report.

The aircraft has a main tank on each wing and a centre tank, which is loaded with additional fuel when required for a flight across the Tasman Sea.

After landing, the flight crew noticed that the centre fuel tank still had 4000kg of fuel left, but there was “minimal fuel” left in the two main tanks that were feeding the engines, the report said.

The aircraft has three fuel tanks. The one in the centre is used for longer flights like flying across the Tasman Sea. Picture: Transport Accident Investigation Commission

The earlier flight from Auckland to Sydney was described as “uneventful” but had arrived 34 minutes late due to strong headwinds.

The late arrival and a curfew at Sydney Airport (11pm local time, which is 1am in Auckland) was cited as one of the reasons the crew were put under pressure while getting ready for departure of the return flight.

There was also a change to the departure runway due to noise-abatement procedures, which the crew discovered when requesting pushback.

“The first officer stated that the combination of the curfew approaching, fog forming in Auckland and the last-minute distraction of the runway change contributed to the omission,” the report said.

In addition to failure to turn on the fuel pumps, the Commission found that the flight had departed Sydney with a flight plan that nominated alternate aerodromes that were not compliant with regulatory or company flight-planning requirements, and the operator’s operational staff had not provided weather updates and flight planning for the flight as prescribed in their manuals.

Airwork Flight Operations Limited, as the operator, was noted to have amended its “Before start” checklist and have implemented training around the centre fuel pumps, as well as issue a notice to flight crew to remind them of their responsibilities.

The company also implemented an automated system to generate alerts for new weather forecasts or NOTAMs, which notify pilots of potential hazards along a flight route.