FLYING DEAD: Pilot Who Crashed Plane Into Houses In Germany Had Died From Heart Attack

A pilot who crashed his motorised glider plane into two houses in Germany during a sightseeing tour had suffered a heart attack and died before he crashed, according to a forensic report.

Pilots Roland Stanek, 79, and Andrea Droessler, pose in undated photo. The victim received a ‘Badge of Honor’ of the City of Magdeburg, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany on Jan. 29, 2015. (Newsflash)

It is unclear at what point he died in the two-hour flight after he had the attack but it was confirmed that Roland Stanek, 79, from Magdeburg, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, was already dead when he crashed.

It is believed he was also dead as they tried to reach him while he flew over the Hanover region with his motor glider at the end of August, before crashing into two houses in the Leinebergland municipality near Hildesheim in Lower Saxony.

Image shows the aircraft accident in the city of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany, undated photo. Pilot Roland Stanek, 79, suffered a heart attack prior to the accident on Aug. 26, 2022. (Newsflash)

The Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) said in a report: “The pilot radioed that he wanted to return to Magdeburg.”

That was the last contact they had with Stanek, with the report saying: “When flying over the control zone of Hanover, the tower tried unsuccessfully to make contact via the emergency frequency.”

The BFU said that the plane then did a long left turn in the sky, with the pilot lying motionless in the cockpit.

Image shows the aircraft accident in the city of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany, undated photo. Pilot Roland Stanek, 79, suffered a heart attack prior to the accident on Aug. 26, 2022. (Newsflash)

After three hours, the plane came down at 5:20pm in the residential area and hit two homes, smashing through the wall of a house. The motor glider was completely destroyed in the crash.

The dead pilot, who had had his flying licence for 60 years, was pulled from the wreckage, with an autopsy later saying that Stanek had died of heart failure before the crash.

Image shows the aircraft accident in the city of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany, undated photo. Pilot Roland Stanek, 79, suffered a heart attack prior to the accident on Aug. 26, 2022. (Newsflash)

The pilot had taken off earlier that day, on 26th August, from the Magdeburg airfield. His friends at the flying club reportedly said: “He just wanted to do a sightseeing flight.”