Witnesses say a hang-glider who died when he crashed into the front of a house opposite a Newcastle beach on Sunday afternoon had been undertaking advanced aerobatics in the moments before the crash.
The man, 46, was killed instantly when he crashed into the front of a house at Bar Beach about 3pm, after earlier clipping powerlines.
Friends of the man described him as an experienced pilot.
One witness was filming the man as he performed the manoeuvres and captured the subsequent crash. The footage has been handed over to police.
Newcastle City police Inspector Jennifer Lawton said early inquiries indicated the man either "lost control or got caught in the wind" in the moments before the crash.
She said he clipped electricity wires but police did not believe he was electrocuted.
"It appears he was in trouble before he hit the wires," she said.
"The occupants were at home, but were at the rear of the house. They didn't see anything but they are understandably shaken up."
Crime scene police and detectives investigating the cause of the crash have spoken with more than a dozen witnesses who were either walking along Memorial Drive, on which the house is located, or sitting in nearby Bar Beach car park.
Police said they were still working on notifying the man's next of kin.
Newcastle Herald
