A pilot whose glider crashed in Blaenau Ffestiniog in May had a heart attack at the controls, an investigation has revealed.

Mystery surrounded the crash when Nigel John Howes, 64, was found in the wreckage on 4 May, but a report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch has revealed that he had a heart attack during the flight.

The pilot, from Stockport, had taken off from Talgarth Airfield towards Snowdonia when tragedy struck.

A report into the accident said the heart attack “would have caused sudden death or rendered the pilot unconscious”.

“The post-mortem also found multiple fractures which were not survivable,” the report added.

Mr Howes spoke to his wife twice on his mobile phone during the flight and their final conversation took place 30 minutes before the accident. He did not mention feeling unwell.

“She recalled that during this second conversation he said he was nine or 10 miles from Snowdon,” the report said.

“She asked him what the conditions were like and she recalled he said something like ‘not good, cloud ahead, might turn back’.”

Mr Howes also took a photograph approximately 15 minutes prior to the accident.

While the postmortem could not determine at what point prior to the accident the heart attack occurred, the report states the glider was actively piloted up until a few minutes before the accident.

The AAIB said the glider’s dangerous manoeuvres at a low altitude were unusual for an experienced pilot like Mr Howes, who had accumulated 3,349 hours of glider flying since qualifying in 1982.

The report states that the landing gear had been selected and it is was likely that the airbrakes were partially extended, which implies that the pilot was trying to land.

Mr Howes’ medical records do not show any pre-existing conditions which may have contributed to the accident. His family confirmed he did not have any ongoing health issues.

A friend reported that during the glider’s take-off in the Rolladen-Schneider LS7, G-CFMY aircraft, which took place at 10.13am on 4 May, the pilot was “well rested and well briefed”.

Mr Howes was flying with another glider pilot, who took off around 10 minutes after. The other pilot said they had agreed a frequency on which to communicate with each other if necessary, but they didn’t make contact during the flight.

When Mr Howes did not return to Talgarth, the alarm was raised.

Police tracked Mr Howes’ mobile phone and a coastguard helicopter located the deceased pilot, still inside the glider, at 6.46pm.