New Zealand's transport accident watchdog investigating a fatal hot air balloon crash is demanding a massive shake-up of drug and alcohol regulation for the industry to prevent future deaths.
Eleven people died in January last year when their balloon crashed in Carterton in the North Island's Wairarapa region after hitting power lines and catching fire - the second-worst such disaster worldwide at the time.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission on Thursday said the crash was caused by errors of judgment by pilot Lance Hopping, who was found to have cannabis in his system.
The balloon plummeted to the ground in flames after hitting power lines, killing all aboard - Stephen Hopkirk and Belinda Harter, Howard and Diana Cox, Desmond and Ann Dean, Johannes Jordann and Alexis Still, cousins Valerie Bennett and Denise Dellabarca, and Hopping.
The commission wants the government to change rules for the aviation, rail and maritime - including recreational boating - sectors to stop people operating aircraft, trains and boats while impaired.
It was highly likely Hopping had smoked cannabis on the morning of the flight, before making deadly errors of judgment while flying, the commission said.
He let the balloon get below the level of power lines in a paddock he was unlikely to land in and then tried to climb higher than the power lines.
Best practice for pilots is to initiate a rapid descent to ensure any contact with power lines was with the envelope (the actual balloon) rather than its basket.
He also failed to make an emergency deflation when a collision was inevitable.
The commission said the level of cannabis in Hopping's system likely resulted from long-term and recent use, and he could have been impaired at the time of the crash.
"Although it cannot be concluded definitely that the cause of the accident was the pilot smoking cannabis, the possibility that it did contribute to the accident could not be excluded," the report says.
Chief Commissioner John Marshall QC told media it was "totally unacceptable" for someone in such a role to be working while impaired, whether the substance was legal or not.
The report called for new legislation or rules to:
* require operators to introduce drug testing and deterrence regimes
* prevent people operating craft while under the influence
* set maximum alcohol limits.
In its response to the report, the Ministry of Transport said it had commissioned research on drug testing before moving to change the rules.
Marshall was disappointed with that response.
"I would observe that alcohol and drug-testing - including random testing - is accepted practice in road transport, and in other modes in other jurisdictions," he said.
"Substance impairment has again been highlighted as an issue. We have made yet another recommendation. It is time for public debate and action."
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