Report finds glider pilot died in a crash while attempting five-hour endurance flight

A glider pilot who died after crashing into trees was attempting a five-hour, endurance flight, an investigation has found.

The 73-year-old man was around half an hour into the flight when the accident happened in Barlavington, West Sussex, on June 5 last year, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.

In the early stages of the flight he successfully gained height in two separate thermals, but then descended below the altitude at which glider pilots are recommended to initiate landing.

His flightpath suggests he "did not intend to commit to a landing", and made a further attempt to gain height from a low level, investigators said.

The pilot, a retired doctor who was not named by the AAIB, was able to recover after losing control twice during this manoeuvre.

But his Mini Nimbus C glider then hit the tops of trees and struck the ground.

A post-mortem examination found the man - who was the only person onboard - suffered head and pelvis injuries, either of which was severe enough to have been fatal.

The AAIB said the pilot was "appropriately trained and qualified" for the flight, which he was conducting as part of his attempt to achieve a British Gliding Association silver badge.

This ambition "may have led the pilot to overly focus on finding lift to gain height and remain airborne", it added.

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