The glider crashed into a paddock near Piper’s Airfield in Eglinton just before 1pm on Sunday, and it is understood wreckage has since been found up to 500 metres away from the impact.

POLAIR were on scene on Monday to conduct an aerial surveillance of the area and it is understood the glider’s canopy had been located away from the crash site.

Chifley Local Area Command Duty Officer Inspector Gerard Powell said at this stage the pilot’s identity had not been released.

“We believe it’s a 75-year-old man from Sydney,” he said.

Inspector Powell said the investigation was under way, but it was in very “early days”.

“It’ll take some time to examine the glider,” he said.

“If anyone saw anything call Bathurst police.”

Multiple triple-0 calls were received by emergency services to attend the crash scene on Sunday following reports a glider had crashed and ignited a grass fire.

While NSW Rural Fire Services crews extinguished the fire, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) treated the glider crash as a HAZMAT incident.

FRNSW acting Superintendent Steven Evans said all air crashes are treated in this manner due to the composite material some plane and gliders are made from.

“They used BA [breathing apparatus] and PPE [personal protective equipment] to deal with that product,” he said.

FRNSW Station Officer Guy Dover said crews were called to the scene again on Tuesday morning to contain the carbon fibre material from the glider and prevent it from blowing away in the wind.

“We used a mix of PVA glue and water to stop it blowing around,” he said.