New Zealand PM hurt in flight drama

The door to a plane carrying New Zealand’s prime minister blew open mid-flight earlier today, forcing the pilot into a sharp descent and emergency landing that left the leader badly bruised, but otherwise unharmed.

The door became dislodged when the aircraft hit turbulence at 8,000 feet. Two security officers grabbed the open door and held it in place while the pilot guided the plane down to a nearby airport.

“What goes through your head is … are you going to live or die, or will the plane land safely,” Prime Minister Helen Clark told reporters, still visibly shaken more than two hours after the 15-minute ordeal.

Clark, 55, said she knew her life was in danger as air rushed into the cabin of the twin-engine Piper Aztec, which was en route to the capital, Wellington, from the tourism town of Rotorua in central North Island.

“When the plane plunges like that obviously it is quite shocking. And then when you see the door can’t close, you know that it is a serious incident,” she said.

Clark was jolted as the plane dived sharply.

“All of sudden there seemed to be a lot of noise in the plane … and my arm crashed down on … the windowsill – and that was very painful,” Clark said.

“Then I noticed … two policemen struggling to hold onto the door. So that was quite dramatic. I think everyone was a little bit shaken, but the (two police) performed superbly. I’m very proud of them.”

An X-ray of Clark’s arm showed no fracture, her spoksman, Mike Munro, said, but “it’s badly bruised”.

Press secretary, Kathryn Street, the only other passenger, said the door flew open “with a great bang and there were papers flying everywhere”.

She said Clark was seated at the rear of six-seater’s cabin, well away from the door.

Clark had used the charter flight so she could return to Wellington early today, ahead of commercial flights.

Aeroplane charter company Mountain Air and air safety officials of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission have both announced investigations into the incident.

Keith McKenzie, Mountain Air’s managing director, told National Radio an initial investigation indicated that a rubber seal split and worked its way under the door’s locking mechanism, popping it open when the plane experienced turbulence.

Clark became prime minister in December 1999 and faces a general election before the end of September. Her ruling Labour Party holds a 13 percentage-point lead in the polls.