A CORONER has blamed pilot error for a fatal glider crash in North Yorkshire.

Michael Oakley recorded a verdict of accidental death on pilot Barry Thompson, who lost control of his glider and crashed into trees at Sutton Bank, near Thirsk, last August.

Mr Thompson, 54, from Bedford, suffered serious head injuries in the accident and died 20 days later without regaining consciousness.

He was a member of Sackville Gliding Club, in Bedfordshire, and was visiting the Yorkshire Gliding Club, at Sutton Bank, as part of an annual event.

An inquest at County Hall, Northallerton, yesterday heard evidence from eye witnesses who said they noticed the 1964 Slingsby Dart glider was flying very low and unusually slowly along the ridge at Sutton Bank.

It began a turn to the right towards the gliding site, then rolled to the right, nose down and went into a spin.

Kenneth Fairbank, senior inspector with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, said Mr Thompson had been taking photographs of other gliders up until about five minutes before he crashed.

"It is possible that this may have contributed to him becoming so low," he said.

"He was taking photographs at a time when people were concerned about the position of the glider."

Coroner Michael Oakley said: "I am satisfied that, sadly, this appears to have been a case of a pilot error to the extent that Mr Thompson had obviously been familiar with the area he was flying.

"He had been to Sutton Bank before and had been flying there in previous days. He had been observed to be quite low coming along the ridge and also operating at a low air speed."