Plane declares mayday near Hawke's Bay Airport
Thu, 8th Oct 2026 (Today)
A passenger plane that declared a mayday this morning has landed safely at Hawke's Bay Airport.
The Maritime New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre said the Air New Zealand pilot radioed the distress call off the coast of Napier at 9.22am on Wednesday.
The pilot reported an issue with the front wheel, a spokesperson said.
"The mayday was cancelled after they made a safe landing around 9.59am.No injuries have been reported to RCCNZ."
Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer, Nathan McGraw said Flight NZ5013 from Auckland landed safely and passengers disembarked as normal.
He said the mayday was made as a precaution due to a potential problem with the aircraft's nose wheel steering.
Fire and Emergency said it responded with three fire trucks and two tankers, who were on standby for the plane's arrival.
McGraw said engineers will assess the plane before it returns to service.