THE cause of a helicopter crash which narrowly missed the busy M6 near Nether Kellet remains a mystery, an accident report has concluded.

Two men were killed in the helicopter crash but the reasons why the aircraft broke up in flight before plunging to the ground remain unclear despite an extensive 20 month investigation.

Pilot Peter Thorne, 53, from Wybridge, and passenger Peter Husler, 38, from Doncaster, both died instantly when the helicopter crashed in August, 1997.

The men were flying in an Augusta Bell Jet Ranger helicopter carrying out overhead inspection work on British Gas pipelines.

The helicopter belonged to the Yorkshire Helicopter Centre in Swinton, near Rotherham, and had passed all maintenance checks.

Eyewitnesses say they saw the helicopter spin through 360 degrees before it pitched forward and crashed to the ground.

The Air Accident Investigation report said one of the blades of the helicopter has sliced into the nose of the aircraft.

It said: "The investigation did not identify a clear technical reason for the in-flight break up of this aircraft. A number of anomalies were identified in the mechanical condition of the helicopter but none could be associated with its break up in the air."

The pilot remained strapped in the aircraft when it crashed, although his passenger was flung clear. Both died instantly. The official publication of the air accident report confirms the findings of a Lancaster inquest held in October.

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