Flap defect forces flight
to islands to turn back
WELLINGTON, New Zealand >> An Air New Zealand flight bound for Honolulu with nearly 200 passengers on board was forced to return to Auckland yesterday because of a wing flap defect, the airline said.
The captain of the Boeing 737 noticed that a flap failed to retract on one wing shortly after the aircraft left around midday, and decided to turn back, Air New Zealand said in a statement.
The airline said passenger safety was "not at risk at any time" and that the captain returned to Auckland because the fault would have become "a speed restriction."
The plane landed safely at Auckland International Airport just before 3 p.m.
The company said engineers inspected the aircraft and found that a sensor inside the wing flap required replacement.
The airline said the 187 passengers were transferred to another plane for their flight to Honolulu and set off again about 4:30 p.m.
Air New Zealand
www.airnz.com