KEY POINTS:
A glider crash in Southland was caused by a tailwind which robbed the aircraft of lift, police said.
Retired doctor William Thomas Ward, 70, was practising takeoffs and landings at Five Rivers, north of Lumsden yesterday evening.
He told police that during one landing a gust of wind caught the rear of the plane, "so it's just dropped out of the sky", Invercargill Senior Sergeant Dave Raynes said.
The glider flipped and the man was trapped for about 30 minutes as emergency services cut him free from the wreckage.
He was flown to hospital where he will undergo minor surgery on a broken ankle today.
Mr Raynes said the man was in good spirits and was very happy to be alive.
The Civil Aviation Authority was investigating.
- NZPA
