Horror as glider pilot is killed in crash while trying to take off at Dunstable Downs – with urgent probe launched

AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a glider pilot was killed in a take-off from an airfield in Bedfordshire yesterday.

The tragedy at the London Gliding Club's base at Dunstable Downs is being probed by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).

People on board gliders are towed into the air by a plane which then drops the connecting cable to the glider can soar unhindered.

The gliding club said the dead pilot's next of kin had been informed and there was no indication yet what caused the crash.

The AAIB sent a team of inspectors to the site to gather evidence.

A club spokeswoman said the British Gliding Association was also investigating.

"The AAIB said last night "An accident in Dunstable was reported this afternoon and we have deployed a field team to investigate."