By Charlotte Shipman
A screwdriver may have caused last month's double fatality plane crash in Feilding, an ongoing Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) investigation has found.
It's thought a screwdriver found in the wreckage could have jammed the controls, making the relatively new aircraft unflyable.
Pilot Ralph Saxe's family and friends farewelled him today, in a hangar at the aerodrome where his fatal flight departed.
At his funeral, the experienced pilot was remembered as a passionate doctor who liked unusual shoes
Friend and fellow pilot Neil Jepson says the “current view” of the authorities is that the crash was caused by an “unrecoverable mechanical problem”, but a screwdriver found in the wreckage has led to comparisons with a previous crash.
Nine years ago in the UK two people, also flying a Yak-52, died after a loose screwdriver lodged in the tail of the aircraft and jammed the controls.
Mr Saxe and his passenger, Brett Ireland, were killed last month when their eight-year-old Romanian-built plane crashed 25 minutes after taking off.
The CAA says it can't yet be sure if the screwdriver caused the crash. A preliminary report is expected within three weeks.
3 News