Pilot killed as two gliders smash into each other in mid-air

‘Mighty bang’ heard over Melton Mowbray as aircraft collided over Leicestershire town, resident says

A pilot has died after two gliders crashed into each other above a town in Leicestershire.

One glider was discovered in a field on the outskirts of Melton Mowbray and the pilot was pronounced dead at the scene, Leicestershire Police said.

The second glider escaped the incident on Thursday afternoon with minor injuries after landing safely nearby.

The glider crashed into a field on the outskirts of the Leicestershire town (Tom Maddick / SWNS)

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has been notified and will be leading a probe into the crash. The government agency declined to comment but a spokesperson confirmed that the wreckage had been recovered and the investigation was ongoing.

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One resident told the BBC they saw the gliders collide over Melton Mowbray, with one crashing close to the Roundhouse Park housing estate in the west of the town.

David Leach said: “I came out and we just looked up watching them circle right above us and then, all of a sudden, there was a mighty bang,” he said.

The wreckage was found in a field on the outskirts of the town (Tom Maddick / SWNS)

“I think the end of the wing of one clipped the back end of one glider, chopping his tail end off and one of them just came crashing down like a rocket. The noise was terrible. It was just so bad to see and it happened so quick.”

Another resident of the nearby village Burton Lazars claimed to the broadcaster that she had spoken to one of the pilots involved after the crash, who had “walked across the field where he landed and knocked on our door to use the phone”.

He was not physically injured but was “very shaken and concerned about the other pilot”, she added.

Gliders are aircraft with long fixed wings and no engine. While competition models typically have wingspans of around 18 metres, and weigh between 400 and 600kg, according to the outlet Aerospace Testing International, some have a wingspan exceeding 30 metres.

Emergency services rushed to scene of the crash (Michael Riley / SWNS)

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We received a call from Leicestershire Police at 15:05 to a microlight or glider that had crashed in a field in Melton Mowbray.

“We sent an appliance from Melton Mowbray Station and Birstall Station.”

Leicestershire Police has urged anyone with information or footage of the incident to contact police on 101, quoting incident 422 of August 17.

Additional reporting by PA