South African pilot dies in Dubai glider crash
Incident happened near Skydive Club area in Marghem, civil aviation authority said
Dubai: A South African pilot died in an amateur glider crash in the Skydive Club area in Marghem in Dubai on Sunday, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) was cited as confirming in a tweet by Emirates News Agency, WAM.
The accident investigation sector at the authority has begun a probe into the incident involving the glider, which was powered by a paramotor engine.
GCAA extended its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.
Last week, the General Civil Aviation Authority had announced that a Cessna light civil single-engine fixed-wing aircraft crashed in the outdoor parking lots of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque due to a technical malfunction. Competent teams immediately rushed to the crash site.
In a statement, GCAA then said that preliminary investigations showed that the accident was caused by a technical malfunction while the amateur-built plane was heading to land at Al Bateen Executive Airport, and crashed in an unpopulated area. As a result of the accident, the pilot was injured and rushed to the hospital for necessary treatment and monitoring.
All concerned teams, including the National Search and Rescue Centre, the General Command of Abu Dhabi Police and the GCAA, coordinated to secure the crash site. The concerned authorities affirmed that the safety of civilians is their top priority.