Updated 5:20pm, Sunday: A woman in her 50s has died following a glider crash at a private airfield in Tasmania’s Midlands, with a second person suffering serious injuries.
The incident occurred just before 2pm today at the Soaring Club of Tasmania on Tunbridge Tier Road.
The male pilot, aged in his mid-60s, sustained serious injuries in the crash and was airlifted to the Royal Hobart Hospital by helicopter.
Tasmania Police Inspector Aleena Crack confirmed the fatality and said the woman’s husband was among others at the airfield when the tragedy unfolded.
“There was a larger group of people at the airfield at the time and this is obviously a tragic outcome for these families and friends,” Crack said.
The two-seater glider crashed during what a spokesperson from the Soaring Club of Tasmania described to Pulse as an otherwise “normal flying day”.
Emergency services responded promptly to reports of the aircraft incident, with police and emergency crews remaining at the scene into the afternoon.
The cause of the crash is now under investigation.
Earlier: One person has died in a glider crash at a recreational flying club in Tasmania’s Midlands this afternoon.
The incident occurred at the Soaring Club of Tasmania in Tunbridge, where emergency services rushed to the scene following reports of an aircraft incident involving a two-seat glider.
Two people were on board the aircraft at the time of the incident, with one person confirmed deceased.
A spokesperson from the Soaring Club of Tasmania told Pulse it was a “glider accident” that occurred during what had otherwise been a “normal flying day” at the facility.
Police and emergency services responded promptly to the scene, with investigations now underway to determine the cause of the crash.
Tasmania Police have been contacted for comment regarding the incident.
