Months to go in crash inquiry

Bill Sommer
Bill Sommer
It may be another seven months before Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) investigators determine the cause of a fatal tandem hang-gliding crash at Queenstown in March.

Queenstown pilot Gerado Bean (17), of Argentina, and his passenger Andrew Michael Scotland (34), of Waipu, Northland, died on impact when they crashed on March 10 this year.

The two men were on a Skytrek Hang Gliding flight which launched from an area known as The Knoll on the Remarkables.

They crashed in Boyds Paddock, on Boyds Rd, between Kelvin Heights and the Remarkables turn-off on State Highway 6.

An examination of the scene, the hang-glider, the reserve parachute and hang-gliding harnesses worn by the two men was completed shortly after the incident.

On Wednesday, CAA spokesman Bill Sommer told the Otago Daily Times the "minimum time for such an investigation" was usually 12 months.

"This is still under active investigation . . . we just want the [investigation] to be done properly," Mr Sommer said.

"There is a lot of work going on with this one."

Mr Sommer said CAA's lead investigator, pilot and ex-flight engineer was in charge of the investigation.

 

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