The Civil Aviation Authority says witnesses will describe a terrifying take-off procedure performed by a pilot as he attempted to fly out of Queenstown.
The Pacific Blue pilot, who has name suppression, is charged with recklessly flying the Boeing 737, endangering the lives of 70 passengers and crew in June 2010.
The lawyer acting for the CAA told the Queenstown District Court on Monday that Pacific Blue has a policy that planes taking off from the resort town's airport must do so before what is known as 'civil twilight' - when the centre of the setting sun is at a certain point below the horizon.
The lawyer says the pilot took off, disregarding minimum safe daylight level in crosswinds which exceeded the airports safety requirements.
The pilot was then forced to pitch the plane to a very low altitude to avoid cloud, essentially skimming over the top of the Kelvin Heights Golf course. Warning alarms were sounding on the flight deck.
The hearing is expected to last two weeks. The pilot has been suspended on full pay since the incident.
http://www.radionz.co.nz
http://www.radionz.co.nz
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