Death of experienced pilot David Wilson a 'big loss' for Australian gliding community

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

Melbourne glider David Wilson, right, died while competiting in Otago on Tuesday. He is pictured with Victorian Soaring Association president Ian Grant.

The Australian gliding community is mourning the loss of Melbourne pilot David Wilson, who died when his glider crashed during a competition in Otago.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Gliding Federation of Australia president Peter Cesco said Wilson was a well known and experienced glider pilot.

Australian glider pilot David Wilson crashed on a steep hillside, near Lake Hāwea, in Otago.

'Our thoughts and condolences are with David's wife Judy, his family and his many gliding friends,' he said.

Wilson was competing in the South Island Regional Glider Championships when he crashed in the Hunter Range, near Lake Hāwea, about 5.15pm on Tuesday.

Organisers suspended racing on Wednesday as a mark of respect for the experienced pilot, whose body was recovered from mountainous terrain on Tuesday night.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is investigating the crash and police said the death has been referred to the coroner.

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Gliding Federation of Australia operations executive manager Chris Thorpe said Wilson's death was a big loss for the gliding community.

He had been flying for about 50 years and regularly took part in regional and national gliding competitions in Australia, Thorpe said.

'He wasn't flying for titles or things, he just competed because he enjoyed flying. He absolutely loved gliding, he was competitive in the sport and very active.

'He was a well-known pilot in Australia, very experienced, and our condolences are with the family and friends.'

The Gliding Federation of Australia had offered to support the CAA in its investigation into the crash, Thorpe said.

Melbourne Gliding Club president Tighe Patching said Wilson was a long-standing club member and a former instructor and coach.

'He was well respected, he loved sharing his passion for gliding, and we're very sad, we're shocked, and our deepest sympathies are with his wife, family and friends.'

Patching said the Australian and New Zealand gliding communities were fairly close, and being relatively small meant any accident 'hits us pretty hard'.

A CAA spokesman said two investigators were being sent to assess the accessibility of the site on Wednesday afternoon.

It was about 4000 feet up, on a steep hillside above the lake. The German-built Discus-2 glider had done only 1809 flight hours, the spokesman said.

The crash happened on the second day of flying in the competition, after gliders left the Omarama Airfield about 2pm for a three-hour race known as an assigned area task.

Gliding New Zealand media liaison Nigel Davy said the gliding community was saddened by Wilson's death. The Australian had 'an excess of 4500 hours in his logbook'.

'Everyone is a bit sad, a bit taken back by it. We're all bonding together I suppose,' he said.

'He was very current flying in the mountains as he had arrived more than a week ago to get current with his flying.'

Davy said the crash site was in mountainous terrain with no road access. Wilson's body had been recovered 'late [Tuesday], just on dark'.

Otago Lakes Central area commander Inspector Olaf Jensen said the wreckage was discovered by a private plane while emergency services tried to find the crash site.