Hang glider crashed 'at high speed' - CAA

The hang glider which crashed killing two men in Queenstown this week hit the ground at high speed, initial investigations show.

Pilot Gerardo Bean and passenger Northland volunteer fireman Andrew Scotland died on impact when the Skytrek tandem hang-glider plunged into a paddock next to Boyd Rd, Kelvin Heights, on Tuesday morning.

Civil Aviation Authority safety investigator Colin Grounsell spent yesterday examining the hang-glider, its safety reserve chute and the harnesses the pair were wearing, the Southland Times reported.

The chute detached from Mr Bean and was found about 10m from the wreckage.

Mr Grounsell said it appeared from evidence at the scene that the hang glider had gone into the ground at "quite a high speed".

However, he made a preliminary endorsement of the Skytrek's decision to fly on that day.

"From what I've been told the conditions were acceptable for the operations they were undertaking."

A friend of Mr Bean, fellow Argentinian and hang-glider pilot Alex Gimenez said he had known the experienced pilot since he was three or four years old, when Mr Gimenez would fly with Mr Bean's father in Argentina.

"It's a terrible moment for me and everyone who knew him."

Mr Bean was a talented flier and also a trained aeronautical engineer, Mr Gimenez said.

Skytrek owner Ian Clark said the company had no immediate plans to resume flights, which were suspended following the accident.

- NZPA