Lak-17 Glider in Fergus ON
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Lak-17 Glider in Fergus ON
Tuesday evening, while flying in the 2012 Canadian National Soaring Competition, a Lak-17 glider crashed into a field North-west of Fergus ON. The crash caused fatal injuries to the pilot, the sole occupant on board. National competition flying has been halted until further notice. The entire gliding community is in much pain, and our hearts go out to the family.
Re: Lak-17 Glider in Fergus ON
Story is here: http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/article/751091
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Downed Puslinch glider pilot was experienced aviator
Tony Saxon, Guelph Mercury
CENTRE WELLINGTON — The Puslinch man killed in a Tuesday evening plane crash was an experienced pilot who was preparing to represent Canada at the upcoming World Gliding Championships.
Stephen Derek Mackie, 46, of Maltby Road, died when the glider he was piloting crashed into a farmer’s field northeast of Fergus around 6 p.m. Tuesday. He died at the scene.
Wellington County OPP Const. Mark Cloes said witnesses reported seeing the glider circling well above the ground, then seeing it suddenly plummet down.
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada arrived at the location Wednesday morning to conduct their investigation.
The plane was upside down in a soybean field roughly 10 kilometres northeast of Fergus. It came to rest in a tree line and there was evidence the plane had hit trees.
“It’s pretty much too early to say what happened,” said Ken Webster, regional senior investigator with the Transportation Safety Board. “He did clip a tree, but we’re still determining how that happened.”
Webster said the investigation would include interviewing witnesses, going over the aircraft’s records and investigating weather conditions at the time of the accident.
“There’s still a lot of things to look at yet,” Webster said.
The coroners’ office has requested a post mortem. It was to be conducted Wednesday at Hamilton General Hospital, police said.
Mackie was taking part in a competition at the nearby York Soaring gliding club at the time of the accident. He had taken off from the club and was coming back to land when he crashed four km west of the club’s location.
Webster said that the glider, a Lak 17A model, was equipped with a radio.
The Lak-17A weights roughly 220 kg and can reach speeds of up to 275 k-h. It comes in models that have 15m or 18m wingspans.
Stan Martin, president of the York Soaring Association, said Mackie was not a member of the club but confirmed he was taking part in a national gliding competition based there Tuesday.
“I didn’t really know him. I’d met him a couple of times, that’s all,” said Martin before declining further comment at the insistence of other club members.
According to the Soaring Association of Canada, Mackie was a former 13-year member of the Canadian Air Force where he was an air navigator. He began flying gliders in 2005 and was a member of the Toronto Soaring Club near Orangeville.
Officials at Mackie’s home Toronto Soaring Club also declined to comment.
He was a member of the Canadian team scheduled to participate in the World Gliding Championships in Texas in August.
He placed second in his class at the 2011 Canadian nationals.
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Downed Puslinch glider pilot was experienced aviator
Tony Saxon, Guelph Mercury
CENTRE WELLINGTON — The Puslinch man killed in a Tuesday evening plane crash was an experienced pilot who was preparing to represent Canada at the upcoming World Gliding Championships.
Stephen Derek Mackie, 46, of Maltby Road, died when the glider he was piloting crashed into a farmer’s field northeast of Fergus around 6 p.m. Tuesday. He died at the scene.
Wellington County OPP Const. Mark Cloes said witnesses reported seeing the glider circling well above the ground, then seeing it suddenly plummet down.
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada arrived at the location Wednesday morning to conduct their investigation.
The plane was upside down in a soybean field roughly 10 kilometres northeast of Fergus. It came to rest in a tree line and there was evidence the plane had hit trees.
“It’s pretty much too early to say what happened,” said Ken Webster, regional senior investigator with the Transportation Safety Board. “He did clip a tree, but we’re still determining how that happened.”
Webster said the investigation would include interviewing witnesses, going over the aircraft’s records and investigating weather conditions at the time of the accident.
“There’s still a lot of things to look at yet,” Webster said.
The coroners’ office has requested a post mortem. It was to be conducted Wednesday at Hamilton General Hospital, police said.
Mackie was taking part in a competition at the nearby York Soaring gliding club at the time of the accident. He had taken off from the club and was coming back to land when he crashed four km west of the club’s location.
Webster said that the glider, a Lak 17A model, was equipped with a radio.
The Lak-17A weights roughly 220 kg and can reach speeds of up to 275 k-h. It comes in models that have 15m or 18m wingspans.
Stan Martin, president of the York Soaring Association, said Mackie was not a member of the club but confirmed he was taking part in a national gliding competition based there Tuesday.
“I didn’t really know him. I’d met him a couple of times, that’s all,” said Martin before declining further comment at the insistence of other club members.
According to the Soaring Association of Canada, Mackie was a former 13-year member of the Canadian Air Force where he was an air navigator. He began flying gliders in 2005 and was a member of the Toronto Soaring Club near Orangeville.
Officials at Mackie’s home Toronto Soaring Club also declined to comment.
He was a member of the Canadian team scheduled to participate in the World Gliding Championships in Texas in August.
He placed second in his class at the 2011 Canadian nationals.
