WELLINGTON, New Zealand, April 13 (UPI) -- A faulty rubber grommet was blamed for an aircraft door flying open in-flight Wednesday with New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark aboard.
Turbulence caused the chartered six-seater Piper Aztec to plunge suddenly from an altitude of 7,000 feet en route to Wellington, TV New Zealand reported.
"All of a sudden there seemed to be a lot of noise and the plane started plunging, and even with your belt on you go up," Clark said. She suffered a badly bruised arm after it smashed onto the window sill.
Two police officers struggled to keep the door shut as the pilot issued a mayday and arranged an emergency landing at Paraparaumu Airport.
Mountain Air Director Keith McKenzie said a rubber grommet in the door sill split and worked its way under the locking mechanism.
Because the cabin wasn't pressurized, there was no chance of the passengers being sucked out, the report said.
