Robert Knauff, 61, dies in glider plane crash on May 3 in Aguila.

A man died Saturday when his glider plane took a nosedive and crashed in Aguila near a desert area in northwest Phoenix, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The glider plane was in tow until it reached about 100 feet at which point the towrope became disconnected from the glider, aricopa County Sheriff's Office Spokesman Christopher Hegstrom said.

The pilot of the plane, 61-year-old Robert Knauff, was pronounced dead at the scene, Hegstrom said. Knauff apears to have attempted a sharp turn at which point the plane stalled and nosedived into the ground, Hegstrom said.