'Stall' caused fatal glider crash near Dunstable

A glider stalled mid-air causing the pilot to lose control and die in the crash in Bedfordshire, an investigation has found.

Michael Teychenne, 65, died from multiple injuries suffered in the accident off Harling Road, in Eaton Bray, near Dunstable, on 30 April 2012.

The pilot was carrying out his second flight of the day from a gliding site.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that the glider hit the ground in a "spiral dive".

The weather was good but there was a blustery wind with some strong gusts, the report said.

Mr Teychenne, from Amersham in Buckinghamshire, had 274 hours of flying experience.

He had recently flown in "challenging conditions" in the Pyrenees.

Investigators found the glider was "structurally complete" before the crash and there was no failure of the controls.

Evidence from a witness suggests that the glider "stalled and entered a spiral dive" from which there was "insufficient height to recover".