AN investigation into the death of a glider pilot who died in a crash near Brentor more than a year ago, found that the man took off in ‘challenging’ and ‘turbulent’ conditions.

Matt Wright, 47, from Tiverton, died in the crash on December 4, 2016, shortly after launching from Brentor Airfield at 12.35pm.

Mr Wright was a YouTuber who was reported to have 15,000 followers and known for ‘seeking out challenging flying conditions’.

An investigation had been carried out by the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) following Mr Wright’s death.

Investigators said that Mr Wright had decided to take off despite strong winds.

The AAIB said that Mr Wright’s craft was hit by a downdraft as it turned left, possibly as he attempted to abort his own flight and landing.

The conclusion of the report said: ‘When the winch launch failed there was sufficient distance available to land directly ahead and turning away from the landing area committed the pilot to attempting a circuit in unpredictable conditions.

‘While it is difficult to be certain of the exact conditions for the accident flight, the general meteorological situation remained and therefore it is highly probable that there would have been significant areas of turbulent and downdraughting air in the area at the time of the accident.’