Glider crash investigation to take up to 18 months

Police collect evidence from the crash scene on farmland northwest of Kaikohe aerodrome. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF

An investigation into the cause of the glider crash which claimed Ricco Legler's life is expected to take at least a year to complete.

The Russell 72-year-old, a highly experienced pilot, failed to return from a flight last Thursday afternoon.

A helicopter search found the wreckage of his glider on farmland a short distance northwest of Kaikohe aerodrome about two hours after the alarm was raised.

The Civil Aviation Authority finished collecting parts of the aircraft, which were spread over two paddocks and a distance of about 200m.

CAA spokeswoman Philippa Lagan said the aircraft had been moved to Kaikohe airfield.

The investigation team had returned to Wellington and would now start analysing information gathered at the scene and from interviews they had carried out.

The investigation was expected to take 12-18 months.

CAA was grateful to the land owner, police and the NZ Defence Force for their assistance during the site examination, she said.

The site was mapped during the weekend by experts from the police Serious Crash Unit.

Defence Force personnel will remove the only object from the glider remaining on the farm, an explosive canister thought to be used for deploying the glider's parachute.

The aircraft was a Slovenian-designed, state-of-the-art, carbon-fibre, electric-powered self-launching glider.