An air accident investigation has concluded that a glider crash was caused by the pilot landing too fast and low.
An accident report has been released pinpointing the cause of the Wormingford accident, after which Tom Branton, 20 of Great Horkesley, was hospitalised for weeks.
The crash was "inevitable", it said, after the young solo pilot tried a racing-style finish in June this year.
He miscalculated his airspeed after not taking the tail wind into account and did not have enough propulsion left to make a safe landing.
Mr Branton crashed into a field beyond the Essex and Suffolk Gliding Club grass runway, was thrown clear of the cockpit and was found unconscious by horrified onlookers.
He was rushed to Colchester General Hospital by paramedics, suffering from severe head and bone injuries.
A spokesman for the British Gliding Association, which investigated the accident, said: "The cause was that the pilot returning from a cross-country flight attempted a practice competition finish with insufficient energy."
Published Thursday October 17, 2002
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