A gyrocopter accident at Jindabyne airstrip late on Sunday afternoon, resulted in death of 68-year-old Jindabyne businessman, Christopher John Randall.

There were no eye witnesses to the accident which is estimated to have occurred at 5pm on Sunday.

Earlier in the afternoon a pre flight check was undertaken with another member of the Jindabyne Aero Club. Authorities were not alerted until he was reported missing by family at 8pm who went out to the airstrip only to find the deceased in the wreckage not far from the Aero Club building.

The crash is being investigated on behalf of CASA and by Canberra representatives of the Australian Sport Rotorcraft Association which is responsible for all gyro registered standards, the training of pilots and technical standards.

Known to many of his colleagues as “Rover”, Chris escaped from Sydney in the late 1960s to work as an auto mechanic for Perisher Valley Hotels. Over the years Chris became an expert in track over-snow vehicle maintenance and in the early ‘80s in Jindabyne, he established Nedran Engineering, later to be known as Jindabyne Engineering.

Outside his work and domestic life, Chris had two major interests – initially skiing, followed by aviation.

He played a leading role in the establishment of the Jindabyne Aero Club and he was Club President. Chris lobbied hard to ensure the upgrading of the Jindabyne airstrip.

Chris will be sorely missed by the Jindabyne community, and most of all by his partner of many years, Helen Maynes.