The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that a fatal 2005 glider crash in Mokule'ia was caused by pilot error and his lack of experience.

Pilot Tyler Nelson, 22, died in the April 6, 2005, crash. His two passengers, a 52-year-old man and his 12-year-old daughter, survived with minor injuries.

A report approved Monday by the NTSB said the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering during a scenic flight was the probable cause of the crash.

The report also said that contributing factors were the pilot's lack of flight experience, inadequate flight training and unfavorable wind conditions.

But the company that Nelson worked for at the time of the crash said he had met all FAA requirements. "He went with three different instructors who validated him, including the FAA inspector who went with him twice," said Mark Griffin, owner of Sailplane Ride Adventure. "So he had five checks."

The report indicates that Nelson worked for that company. Previous Advertiser stories said he worked for Soar Hawaii Sailplanes Inc. Both companies have the same telephone number.

Nine days after Nelson received his commercial pilot's certification, he was dead.

According to the NTSB report, Nelson began training in gliders in January 2005 and passed his private pilot's certification on March 26. Two days later he received his commercial pilot rating. On April 5, the day before the crash, he had logged 48.4 hours of flight time, of which 31.2 hours were as a pilot-in-command. He had 7.1 hours of experience in the glider make and model that went down.

"Review of the pilot's training records and experience brought into serious question the quality of both," the report said.

Besides the required training with an instructor, a person applying for a private pilot's certification in a glider needs at minimum 10 hours of flight time and 20 flights. Commercial certification requires a minimum of 25 flight hours and 100 flights as the pilot-in-command. The commercial requirements also include two hours of solo flight and at least 10 flights.

The report didn't dispute Nelson's qualifications but said glider organizations contacted in the course of the investigation thought his commercial rating was obtained faster than usual.

"According to the Soaring Society of America and the Soaring Safety Foundation, it is unusual to obtain a commercial glider pilot certificate in as little time as the accident pilot, and it usually takes about six months to one year to obtain the required experience," the report said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.