Mr Donaldson was scheduled to appear in the Queenstown District Court yesterday, to answer a charge of operating a vessel in a manner that causes unnecessary danger or risk.
English doctor Paul Woods (29), a general surgeon at Dunedin Hospital, was killed when the jet-boat in which he was a passenger, and which Mr Donaldson was driving, hit a gravel bank and flipped during a Boxing Day trip on the Matukituki River, last year.
Dr Woods' partner, Dr Leanne Tonney, and her brother Dave, who were also in the boat, were injured in the crash.
Mr Donaldson is charged under section 65 (1) (a) of the Maritime Transport Act 1994 and, if he is found guilty, could face a term of imprisonment not exceeding 12 months, or a fine not exceeding $10,000.
