Milford Sound - Queenstown

On December 30, 1989 at 03:32 PM, Milford Sound - Queenstown experienced a crash involving Cessna 207 Skywagon/Stationair, operated by Milford Sound Scenic Flights, with the event recorded near Milford Sound Southland Regional Council.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

5 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 5 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 4, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Two Cessna 207 Skywagon of Air Fiordland (ZK-DQF) and Milford Sound Scenic Flights (ZK-DAX) were engaged in a charter flight from Milford Sound to Queenstown, carrying Japanese tourists. On board ZK-DQF were six passengers and one pilot and four passengers and one pilot on board ZK-DAX. En route, while cruising over the Milford Sound area, both aircraft collided. While the pilot of ZK-DAX was able to perform an emergency landing, ZK-DQF entered a dive and crashed, killing all seven occupants. All five people on board ZK-DAX were rescued but both aircraft were destroyed.

Aircraft reference details include registration ZK-DAX, MSN 207-0131, year of manufacture 1969.