The pilot killed in a microlight crash near Hyde, in Otago, more than two years ago had let his passenger take the controls, an accident report shows. The Rans Aircraft S-19 Class 2 Microlight was part of a planned ‘‘group fly away’’, with seven other aircraft, from Taieri Aerodrome to Omarama Aerodrome for a group lunch on June 25, 2017. Investigators found the pilot had let the passenger fly the aircraft and, although the passenger was himself a pilot, he was not familiar with the particular microlight and its sensitive electric trim system. ‘‘Unlike the general pilot population, instructors are trained to recognise when things are going wrong, and to take the appropriate remedial action in a timely manner,’’ the CAA report said. Instructors also used procedures to hand over control of the aircraft, to prevent situations where either or both pilots were attempting to fly the aircraft at the same time, or nobody was in control of the aircraft.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 21, 2019 18:45 UTC