'Very outgoing' man dies in glider crash in Kaikohe, Far North

Thursday, 16 November 2017

A experienced glider in his early 70s has died in a 'mysterious' gliding accident in the Far North.

The man – who had been gliding since he was young and was 'very fit' for his age – had gone missing mid-flight after leaving the Kaikohe Airfield on Thursday afternoon, Kaikohe Gliding Club secretary Keith Falla said.

The man was also a member of the Kaikohe Gliding Club.

Falla and a fellow glider had been flying for about an hour and a half before the man arrived and self-launched. 

'We have no idea what happened up there, it wasn't an adventurous flight … just a relaxed afternoon fly,' Falla said.

'When he didn't return we called Search and Rescue.'

The police were notified about 5.30pm. 

The glider was located 3.2km west of the airfield later that evening, but the sole occupant was dead, police said.

The Maritime New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre assisted in the search for the missing glider, and a helicopter was deployed from Whangarei, a Maritime New Zealand spokesman said. 

'Work is still under way to piece together exactly what has happened and no further information is available at this stage,' he said on Thursday night.

Falla said the man who died was 'very outgoing and a friend to everybody'.

Weather conditions during the glide had not been ideal, but weren't rough enough to cause any problems, he said.

'The crash is a complete mystery to us and we're still trying to get our heads around it.'