Flight NZ654 was canceled yesterday afternoon after the pilot made two attempts to take off but had to abort both on runway due to unrelated issues. New Zealand herald reported.
Passenger Rickie Modi said NZ Herald the pilot “slammed on the brakes” and stopped on the runway.
Some passengers braced themselves during the sudden stop by holding on to the seat in front of them, Modi told the newspaper Herald
The pilot told all passengers to remain seated.
“There was a lot of confusion among all the passengers and a lot of nervous mumbling and laughing,” Modi told the newspaper Herald.
After a few minutes, the pilot said the plane had hit a flock of birds during takeoff, Modi said.
The aircraft was then reportedly returned to the gate and assessed for damage Herald reported.
The pilot tried to take off again, but aborted it again on the runway.
“As we taxied to the other end of the runway, the pilot announced that they had encountered another 'minor glitch' and were trying to fix it in the cockpit while we waited on the runway,” Modi told the Herald.
Hugh Pearce, Air New Zealand's chief of flight operations, told the press Herald the flight stopped on the Queenstown runway after a “potential bird strike”.
“The aircraft returned to the gate for a technical inspection while the customers remained on board.”
Pilots are trained for bird strike scenarios, Pearce said Herald.
After the first incident, the plane was cleared to take off. But during the second attempt, “an unrelated warning light came on.”
“The aircraft returned to the gate for further technical inspection. As we could not guarantee how long the inspection would take, the decision was made to cancel the flight,” Pearce told the press Herald.