Communities grieving for pilot, woman killed in Taupō glider crash

Tuesday, 2 June 2020

Tahir Nawaz, president of the international Muslim association of New Zealand speaks about the loss of a community member who was killed in a glider accident in Taupo during the weekend.

The death of a pilot and passenger of a glider that crashed into a Taupō mountain over the weekend has devastated the gliding community and left the Islamic community of Wellington grief stricken.

Members of the Taupō Gliding Club are mourning the loss of the local man in his 70s who was one of two people killed when the ASK21 glider crashed into Mt Tauhara on Sunday afternoon.

'He was a valued member and a friend. We are devastated by the loss,' Taupō Gliding Club president Tim Norman said on Tuesday.

'We are a close-knit club and he was widely known in the club. He very much enjoyed his gliding here and in France where he lived part of the time.'

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A pilot and passenger were killed when a glider crashed into Mt Tauhara near Taupo. The airfield where the glider set out from is home to the Taupo Gliding Club.

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Norman said the club was also devastated for the loss of the 43-year-old woman who was a passenger in the glider at the time.

Mt Tauhara rises above Taupo and is the highest natural feature close to the town.

'The crash has been tragically received by the whole gliding community - it's always devastating when anyone has a crash and we're feeling it very locally.'

In Wellington the Islamic community is rallying to support the man whose wife was killed in the crash, which happened while the pair spent the holiday weekend in Taupō.

President of the International Muslim association of New Zealand, Tahir Nawaz, told Stuff he had spent time with the man on Tuesday morning and was offering support to him and the family.

'I recall when they got engaged and I remember meeting her at the time, she was just such a lovely person. She was very humble, peaceful and kind.

'I think (they) were an exemplary couple. His wife did a lot of travel between Wellington and Auckland. They were a very friendly couple and very generous. They were always helping us out with community projects.

'I spoke to their neighbours and one was saying how they were a really lovely couple, she was very sad about it,' Nawaz said.

The couple were in Taupō for the long weekend and were experiencing a paid training flight through the Taupō Gliding Club on Sunday afternoon.

The man went up first and completed his flight from the Taupō Gliding Club. His wife then boarded the glider with the local pilot.

It was during this flight that the glider crashed into the mountain on the western side not far from the top amid dense bush a few hundred metres from the walking track.

A specialist team recovered the pair's bodies by helicopter on Monday and transported them back to the Taupō Airport where a service was held.

Gathering with family at the airport for a karakia was an emotional time, Norman said.

'It was a very moving and touching event and greatly appreciated.'

It was understood that the woman's body was transported back to Wellington where a funeral would take place in the coming days. Members of the Islamic Community and Kilbirnie Mosque were offering support and helping to with funeral arrangements.

Norman said the gliding club offered trial flights where members of the public can take a flight to see if they are interested in taking up gliding as a sport.

Once they have undertaken an initial flight they can complete another five flights before they must formally join a club and Gliding NZ to continue training.

'(We) give people the opportunity to experience a glider flight, take the controls under supervision of the instructor and decide whether they wish to continue in the sport.'

The pair were in a ASK21 which is a model widely used globally as a training glider and well-suited for the task, he said.

Taupō police Senior Sergeant Fane Troy said police had removed the bodies on behalf of the coroner but the investigation was now in the hands of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.

TAIC Investigators were on the mountain on Tuesday undertaking a scene examination before the wreck would be transported by truck to Wellington.

Spokesperson Simon Pleasants said investigators would be measuring and mapping the site and location of any wreckage as well as talking to the operators of the aircraft about procedures and practices, and examining the full history of the glider as part of evidence gathering.

It was too soon to say what were the factors or the cause of the crash which would be examined by TAIC.