A paraglider who crashed and died in central Queenstown yesterday was a qualified and experienced tandem pilot, his employer says.
Photo: 123rf.com
Ben Letham, who was orginally from Scotland, took off from Skyline Gondola and was found in Queenstown Primary School yesterday morning.
GForce Paragliding co-director Gavin Taylor said Mr Letham had been working at the company as a full-time pilot for the last three years and was on a solo recreational flight when the accident happened.
He says conditions at the time were calm and he couldn't comment on what went wrong.
"Ben would have done thousands of flights at this site, both commercially and recreationally, but this day he was flying with his own equipment using a single person wing."
My Taylor says Mr Letham was well-known in the Queenstown community and was a volunteer with the Alpine cliff rescue team.
"Our whole team is absolutely devastated by his death," says Mr Taylor.
"He was a really nice guy, a talented pilot, and we're stunned to lose one of the youngest members of our team with his whole life ahead of him."
The company has temporarily suspended operations as a mark of respect to Mr Letham and his loved ones, he says.
Queenstown Primary School principal Fiona Cavanagh says the school was "shocked and saddened" to learn of the death on school grounds.
