BOULDER, Colo.—The pilot of a plane that towed and released a glider that later crashed in Boulder County, killing its pilot, told investigators that air conditions were bumpy, with updrafts of 1,000 feet per minute before the accident.
Forty-six-year-old glider pilot Daniel “D.J.” Tengdin of Westminster died in the crash April 1.
A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report released Thursday says several witnesses reported seeing the glider spiral toward the ground and collide with three power lines.
The report says minutes before the crash, a weather update reported gusts of 21 knots, or about 24 mph. The NTSB report didn’t say what caused the crash. A final report is expected later.
Another glider pilot, Bob Faris, told the Daily Camera that Tengdin had flown in similar wind conditions before.
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Information from: Daily Camera,
