One killed in glider crash

[Dave Homewood]

One dead in Northland glider crash
16 Nov, 2017 8:46pm

The glider was found crashed about 3.2km west of Kaikohe Airport.
NZ Herald

One person has died in a glider crash in Kaikohe this evening, police say.

The glider was reported overdue from Kaikohe Airfield at 5.30pm and the Maritime New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) began efforts to search for the missing aircraft.

A helicopter flew from Whangarei to Kaikohe airport and the glider was found about 3.2km west of the airport at approximately 7pm, where it had crashed.

The pilot, the sole occupant, was killed in the crash.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre said the matter was now in the hands of police. Civil Aviation have been advised.

Police said work is still under way to piece together exactly what has happened and no further information is available at this stage.

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11944896

[conman]

nzh.tw/11944896

[angelsonefive]

Can anyone help with the reg. of this aircraft? Was it GVQ ?
Thanks in advance.

[Dave Homewood]

Oddly they have still not released the pilot's name as far as I have been able to see. They have only released that he was in his 70's and was from Russell.

[Brett]

The pilot was Ricco Legler, 72, from Russell. He was flying his own glider, which I think may have been ZK-GEL.

[angelsonefive]

Thanks for your replies.
ZK-GEL seems to fit. The CAA lists GEL as a Pipistrel Taurus Electro owned by a trust with a Russell address.