Pilot's death days after helicopter crash unrelated

The pilot and his student climbed free from the helicopter after it crashed at Leicester Airport

The death of a pilot just days after a helicopter crashed during a training flight was unrelated, an investigation has found.

The commander of the two-seater aircraft, which downed at Leicester Airport near Stoughton on 27 September last year, climbed unhurt from the helicopter while the pilot he had been instructing suffered a sore leg.

But four days later he fell ill, and died the following week.

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report has concluded his death, from a severe stroke, was unrelated and the crash landing was accidental.

The report published on Thursday found that while a student "who had not flown for some time" had been practising hovering, the helicopter began to spin to the left.

The commander took control of the helicopter but it rotated four times and struck the ground at the airfield, CCTV at the site showed.

There were no faults found with the helicopter, but it is likely that a yaw pedal was not applied or held long enough to correct the spin, said the AAIB.

Pedals were available to both the trainee and commander, but only the right-hand side - where the trainee was sitting - had adjustable pedals.

The loss of control may have occurred because the commander was more familiar with adjustable pedals, according to the report.

The AAIB said manufacturer Guimbal had taken safety action, including to install adjustable pedals in the left seat of all new Cabri G2 models.