The Air Accident Investigation Branch will not publish their final report into the crash that killed Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha until next year.
Vichai and four others - two members of his staff, Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, and two pilots and partners, Izabela Lechowicz and Eric Swaffer, died on October 27, 2018, when the helicopter carrying them crashed close to the King Power Stadium, shortly after Leicester’s Premier League match against West Ham.
In a statement released on Sunday morning, Chief Inspector of Air Accidents Crispin Orr said: ‘Today marks the first anniversary of the helicopter accident in Leicester, in which five people lost their lives. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.
‘During the course of the investigation, the AAIB has been working closely with the helicopter manufacturer, other specialist organisations and regulators to identify the cause of the accident and any contributory factors. We have published two special bulletins.
‘The first highlighted the initial facts identified in the early stages of the investigation, and the second identified that the accident was caused by the failure of the duplex bearing in the helicopter’s yaw control system.
‘The helicopter manufacturer issued several Alert Service Bulletins designed to ensure the continued airworthiness of the AW169 and AW189 fleets, which were subsequently mandated by European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Airworthiness Directives.
‘All parties involved in the investigation continue work to fully understand what initiated the failure of the duplex bearing and to develop any additional safety actions. We expect to publish our detailed final report next year.’