Four passengers of the Skippers Canyon Jet Ltd boat had to be airlifted after the engine cut out causing a crash on February 25 last year.
In findings released yesterday, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) found the risk in canyon jetboating was not properly explained to passengers before departure and they were not advised of the appropriate brace position.
‘‘That left them poorly prepared to protect themselves when the boat struck the canyon wall,’’ the commission found.
The jetboat also did not have enough padding to adequately protect passengers from injury during a sudden stop.
The crash caused the passengers to be thrown forward and suffer injuries including a wrist fracture, deep cuts and bruising.
Two adults and two children from the same family had to be evacuated by helicopter.
Some customers reported ‘‘significant psychological trauma’’ following the accident, the decision said.
The TAIC investigation found the boat engine had stopped after an exposed wire contacted the engine and caused a short-circuit.
The boat was travelling at up to 65kmh when the engine stopped.
The driver lost steering and could not restart the boat before its momentum carried it into the canyon wall at up to 35kmh.
Requirements for padding on commercial jet boats needed to be reviewed as the current assessment process was subjective, the TAIC found.
It recommended Maritime New Zealand work with commercial jetboating stakeholders to achieve an objective standard.
The operator of the jetboat had since addressed the safety briefing issue by disclosing risk during the booking process, installing new signs and adopting different briefing procedures on safety equipment and emergency actions.
In February 2019, the company had a similar incident when a jetboat carrying nine passengers collided with the canyon wall.
One customer was thrown partially overboard and suffered a broken leg. Others had minor cuts and bruising.
In that case, a Queenstown District Court judge fined the company $50,000 and ordered it to pay $260,000 in reparation and emotional harm payments.
Skippers Canyon Jet Ltd was approached for comment but did not respond by deadline.
