Heart complaint behind fatal air crash

A pilot's heart condition may have contributed to the microlight crash that killed him in 2008, a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) report has found.

Noel David Vallance, 50, died on March 20, 2008 after crashing the microlight at a rural property near Riversdale in northern Southland.

He had been performing an exercise which involved dropping a toilet paper roll from 1600 feet and attempting to intercept and cut the paper during its descent.

He did this successfully twice, but the turn for the third intercept led to a sudden pitch up, followed by a tailslide, a forward tumble and then the left part of the wing failing, resulting in the crash.

In a report released today, the CAA said Mr Vallance was appropriately licensed and experienced to carry out the flight, and there were no indications of structural or system failure in the plane.

His medical records indicated a history of episodes involving an abnormally rapid heart rate, and the report said he had spoken about three episodes in the two weeks leading up to the crash.

"It is considered that the probable cause of the accident was loss of control of the aircraft by the pilot," the CAA report read.

"The reason for this could not be positively identified, but is possible that the pilot may have suffered an incapacitation associated with his known medical condition."

Mr Vallance had been aware of the hazards associated with the tailspin-tumble using a microlight, and had recently emailed a warning to fellow pilots, the CAA said.

The CAA recommended raising further awareness about the dangers of performing the manoeuvre in weight-shift microlights, and requested New Zealand microlight organisations inform their members about the hazards.

- NZPA