An investigation into a helicopter crash that killed two Northland men has revealed the damage to the aircraft was so extensive the cause of the crash could not be determined.
Pilot Allan Jessop, 42, from Tangiteroria, and forestry worker and Derek Hammond, 49, died when the Robinson R44 helicopter they were in crashed in the Glenbervie Forest, north of Whangarei on October 31, 2016.
An report released by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission today said the damage to the helicopter and subsequent fire, and the lack of any other incontrovertible evidence, meant that the cause of the accident could not be determined.
A bolt that attached the pitch link to the pitch horn on one of the main rotors was found to be missing.