The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) report on a fatal glider crash near Omarama in which Robert John Martin died backs up its position outlined in its safety education magazine that the pilot was well-known for "unsafe flying".
The crash on Mt Saint Cuthbert on January 17, 2022, claimed the life of Christchurch man Robert John Martin, 72, also formerly of Gore and Queenstown.
The report by CAA investigator Colin Grounsell, which did not name Mr Martin, found it "highly likely" Mr Martin allowed his airspeed to drop too low while attempting to find lift along the mountain’s ridgeline.
His glider stalled and entered a spin, with insufficient height to recover.
Mr Grounsell said he was sent a document after the fatal accident, compiled by a senior gliding instructor, in which several instructors expressed their concerns about Mr Martin’s "apparent erratic flying, poor judgement, getting slow when ridge flying, and failing to accept responsibility for the errors in his flying".
The issues raised in the document prompted the CAA to publish an article in its safety education magazine Vector last year titled "Everybody Knew".
In the article, which did not name Mr Martin, Mr Grounsell said the document outlined attempts by fellow pilots and clubs to guide him towards flying more safely.
A glider pilot since 2003, Mr Martin had more than 1000 hours’ experience, as well as two decades’ prior experience flying hang gliders.
The investigation report said he had struck trees and crashed near St Arnaud in 2010, had a "gear-up" landing in 2011 and a heavy landing in 2019.
His reputation was such that some gliding clubs refused to accept him as a member, while one would not let him fly solo in its gliders.
However, he was registered as a member at the Omarama airfield, and successfully completed a biennial flight review there a fortnight before his death.
On the day of the crash, an instructor and student on board another glider saw Mr Martin flying "very close" to the Mt Saint Cuthbert ridgeline.
They saw the wreckage of his glider shortly afterwards.
After taking off from the Omarama airfield, he had released from the tow plane "well short" of the best-known source of lift in the area, Mr Grounsell said.
Given the weak thermal conditions at the time, it would have been prudent to remain on tow for longer.
