The wife of a man killed in a tandem hang-glider crash near Queenstown yesterday watched on in horror as it fell to the ground, killing her husband and its pilot.
Andrew Michael Scotland, 34, a volunteer firefighter from Waipu, and Argentine pilot Gerardo Bean, 27, fell 300 metres to their deaths in the accident.
Mr Scotland's wife and four others witnessed the fall, Detective Sergeant Grahme Bartlett of Queenstown police said.
An eyewitness told 3 News it appeared the hang glider had made a steep turn when the wings folded back and collapsed.
It appeared the pilot's emergency parachute had failed to deploy.
Mr Scotland had been in Queenstown attending a fire safety officers' conference, and had stayed behind in the tourist town after the conference along with four others specifically to take part in the morning's flight, Mr Bartlett said.
The hang glider took off from an area known as The Knoll on the Remarkables yesterday morning.
About 10.15am, it crashed in Boyd's Paddock off Kingston Rd at Kelvin Heights, a southern suburb of Queenstown.
The hang glider's pilot, Mr Bean, worked for Queenstown company Skytrek, and owner-operator Ian Clark said staff were devastated by the incident.
His sympathies went out to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr Scotland, he said.
Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Bill Sommer said yesterday an investigator was on his way to Queenstown to investigate.
Mr Bartlett said the hang glider was extensively damaged and a reserve chute was found close to the craft.
While the Queenstown Fire Station flew its flag at half-mast, Northland regional fire commander Trevor Andrew paid tribute to Mr Scotland, saying he was "larger than life".
"It is a tragedy to lose anyone of Andrew's contributions to the community but someone of his calibre and character is a double tragedy," Mr Andrew told 3 News.
