Air New Zealand Flight 4374

Air New Zealand Flight 4374 was a flight from Gisborne which crashed while landing at Auckland, killing two of the four on board.

Aircraft
The Fokker Friendship F27-500 was eight years old at the time of the crash. Until 1977 the aircraft had been operated by the New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC) as the result of merger.

Crash
At 14:28 the aircraft had descended to 3000 feet and the pilots deployed the flaps. The aircraft's speed was 165 knots, and increased to 211 knots; 2 minutes 14 seconds later the aircraft crashed into the harbour killing two, the captain and a passenger.

Cause
The investigation found that the crew were likely misled by a visual illusion due to a rain shower obscuring the runway threshold during their base turn. This, coupled with a failure to monitor their flight instruments effectively, resulted in a controlled flight into terrain.