Pilot killed after two planes crash mid-air with one smashing into woodland as urgent probe launched

NewsWorld News A PILOT has been killed after two gliders crashed mid-air over upstate New York. One plane plunged into a heavily wooded and remote area, while the other was able to land safely after the collision. Police surrounding the wreckage of the stricken glider Credit: News Channel 13 A pilot was killed after they collided with another glider and crashed Credit: CBS6 Albany/Youtube Each aircraft was operated by a single pilot and carried no passengers. They collided just before 2.30pm on Friday afternoon near Edinburg, a town around 50 miles north of Albany. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! It took investigators more than two hours to find debris from the wreck of the Schempp-Hirth Ventus-2B glider. Helicopters were seen overhead as they scoured the area for traces of the plane. The crash site was roughly six miles from where the other aircraft, exactly the same model, landed safely at Plateau Sky Ranch Airport. The body of the pilot, who has not been identified, was found at the scene. Footage from the crash site showed police surrounding a small plane in a wooded area. The other pilot escaped without injury, and even went back up in search of the other glider. Most read in The Sun Pictures show the survivor‘s plane had some scraping near the nose, but it was otherwise unscathed. Elayne Wade, owner of the airport where he landed, told the Times Union: “The front end had some damage. “The pilot is shaken but OK. He just went up in a plane with my husband to find the other glider.” It is not yet clear what caused the crash, but an investigation has been launched by the National Transportation Safety Board. They will analyse flight track data, recordings, maintenance records, the pilot’s license and flight history, witness statements and surveillance video. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days and a final report will follow in the next one to two years. Comment now