A HIGHLY-respected pilot who died after her glider crashed on farmland near Alton may have suffered a “medical episode”.

Kay Draper, 60, from Marlborough, Wiltshire, died when the ASG29 glider she was piloting came down in a field near Bradley village on July 21 last year.

In describing her as “an experienced glider pilot”, the Air Accident Investigation Branch said that while Mrs Draper had appeared “fit and well before the flight” there was a possibility she lost consciousness as a result of a heart problem.

On the day of the flight, Mrs Draper’s motorised glider was launched by aerotow from Lasham airfield. According to the tug pilot, there had been no reported problems and he released the tow at 2,000 feet.

However, the Air Accident Investigation Branch report read: “Shortly afterwards the glider was seen descending steeply toward the ground, which it struck at a speed in excess of 100 knots.”

The plane, a Schleicher ASG 29E glider, with a small back-up engine, crashed in a field west of the airfield, at Southwood Farm in Preston Candover.

Mrs Draper was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the AAIB, while the glider was damaged beyond repair “there was no evidence of any technical failure”.

Nor was there evidence the pilot was in the process of jettisoning the canopy.

The report goes on to say that despite appearing “fit and well” before the flight, “it is possible that the pilot was incapacitated during the latter stages of flight and the pathologist could not rule out the possibility that she might have lost consciousness, as a result of a cardiac problem owing to a family history and reports of heart palpitations about two weeks prior to the flight”.

Married to fellow glider pilot and Lasham Gliding Society member David Draper, Kay was an occupational therapist who had been flying gliders for many years and was known as a highly experienced and capable pilot.

She had competed internationally as a hang-glider pilot, winning the first British Women’s Championships before going on to become a first-class glider pilot. She was a well-respected member of the British gliding team and held a number of British records.

Stunned at the time by the accident, speaking on behalf of Lasham Gliding Society, chairman Mike Clarke said of the report: “We lost a dear friend and a very talented glider pilot in July last year.

“We are grateful for the thorough Air Accident Investigation Branch report which answers many of the questions surrounding this tragic event.”