(source: SITA)
A Russian contestant was killed on Thursday, July 8 at the world gliding championship in Prievidza. Alexander Martynov was killed when his glider crashed during a competition event director Jozef Šnirc informed the SITA newswire.
The Russian was piloting a LAK 10 glider when he lost control.
According to reports, two other contestants witnessed the tragedy. They said Martynov circled in an ascending airstream about 200 metres above the forest but then fell into a spin and crashed into the forest.
Thanks to the other pilots, the rescuers and aviation administration had approximate coordinates for the crash site, but were unable to immediately reach the plane because of the density of the forest. Police later informed meet organisers that they had found the wreckage and that the pilot had died.
The accident is being investigated by the Expert Investigation of Aviation Accidents and Incidents Division of the Slovak Transport Ministry.
