NZ Prime Minister in mid-air emergency

April 13, 2005

New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clark, was injured in a mid-air incident involving a Piper Aztec light aircraft above the Kapiti Coast around 9am local time.

Preliminary reports suggest the cabin door popped open during extreme turbulence, which also caused a minor injury to the PM's elbow. Two police officers on board held the door closed while the plane made an emergency landing at Paraparaumu Airport, near Wellington.

"I had two New Zealand police with me who acted very, very quickly to grab the door and the two police officers were strong enough to hold the door right through the landing," Ms. Clark said

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) will be investigating.

No result as yet.