Respected Calgary glider pilot died after parachute failure in mid-flight emergency

Kerry Stevenson, 65, a resident of Calgary, has been identified as the pilot who died near Diamond Valley on Wednesday in a gliding aircraft incident.

Stevenson was declared dead at the scene after his parachute failed to deploy when he jumped from the plane mid-flight, according to Jason Acker, president of the Alberta Soaring Council.

"The pilot ejected from the aircraft, attempted to deploy a parachute and unfortunately succumbed to the injuries because of the failed parachute deployment," said Acker.

"This was a mid-flight emergency that occurred," he said. "Something happened within the aircraft that required the pilot to make a split second decision to eject from the airplane and attempt a parachute deployment. That is very rare, extremely rare in this sport.

"Clearly, something catastrophic happened and motivated the pilot to take that heroic decision to leave the airplane."

According to Alberta RCMP, at approximately 1:30 p.m., the Turner Valley detachment received a 911 call advising that a small, non-motorized glider aircraft had crashed in a field south of Highway 7, about 20 kilometres southwest of Calgary. RCMP, EMS and Diamond Valley Fire Rescue attended and found the glider aircraft and the pilot.

The incident is now being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board, which was at the scene on Thursday. Acker said it's still not known what caused Stevenson to jump from the plane, or why the parachute failed to deploy. He said undergoing parachute training is not a requirement for glider pilots, but they are briefed on how to use them.

The Cu Nim Gliding Club said Stevenson was a respected member of the gliding community and was a supportive flight instructor. 

In a statement Thursday, the Cu Nim Gliding Club's president, Patrick McMahon, and its chief flying instructor, Christopher Gough, said Stevenson "helped shape the flying careers of many Cu Nim glider pilots over many years as a reliable and supportive flight instructor and shaped the club as a long-serving past president."

The statement said Stevenson was also a husband, father, grandfather, real estate agent, motorcyclist and dog dad.

The incident occurred during the Canadian National Soaring Championships, a two-week event hosted by the Cu Nim Gliding Club, east of Diamond Valley. At a meeting Wednesday night, the organizing committee and the pilots decided to cancel the event out of respect for the family, and so the community could mourn the loss, Acker said. 

The incident happened during competition, so there were witnesses to the crash, and first responders arrived on the scene quickly, he noted.

"Kerry was a long-serving, former club president who was passionate about soaring and will be missed by many," said the statement released Thursday.

Acker said the report from the Transportation Safety Board on the incident will be diligently reviewed once it is released.

"That report will be scrutinized at the national level with our committee, at the local level, at the provincial level. We will take the learnings and recommendations from that report and look at how we can further add training, safety systems, policy, procedure and engineering controls to try to avoid these events from occurring," he said.

The statement said the family will co-ordinate a private funeral service for Stevenson.

"He will be fondly remembered and missed by members of the gliding club and members of the many communities where he contributed," the statement said.