Coroner rules Katikati pilot's death accidental

Gavin Harvey's death was ruled by the Coroner as accidental. Photo/File

The death of a Katikati man who died after conducting his first solo flight in Tauranga has been ruled as accidental.

Gavin Harvey suffered severe head injuries when the single-seat glider he was flying for the first time crashed at Tauranga Airport on May 1, 2016.

Coroner Gordon Matenga has found Harvey suffered an unsurvivable head injury and died as a result of a severe head injury with acute right extradural haematoma and extensive subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Harvey also suffered severe facial and skull fractures, severe bruising of the lungs and fractures of the lumbar vertebrae.

Matenga ruled Harvey's death as accidental following the inquest at Tauranga District Court last week.

The coroner's report said on May 1, 2016, Harvey was making his first solo flight in a single-seat PW-5 glider at the Tauranga Aerodrome.

After a flight time of 12 minutes, Harvey approached to land the glider on a runway. However, Harvey extended the air brakes and retracted them and signalled he would instead land in the opposite direction on runway 22.

Harvey turned the PW-5 left, conducting a steep reversal turn after over-flying the runway.
The glider stalled and entered a spin leaving insufficient height for Harvey to effect a recovery.

Harvey was seriously injured and taken to Tauranga Hospital before being flown to Waikato Hospital in the early hours of May 2, 2016, where he died.