Footage of the January incident at Alaska's Eielson Air Force base showed the jet tumbling downwards in the sky and hitting the ground, causing a fireball. A new report released this week by the Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation Board found that the ice in the landing gear caused the fighter's automatic systems to wrongly assume that it had landed even though it was still in the air, making the aircraft "uncontrollable."
Emergency services were called to the site near the A3020 Shanklin Road on Monday morning. A spokesman for Northumbria Helicopters said that its aircraft G-OCLV - which is listed as a Robinson R44 II helicopter - was involved in the accident during a flying lesson. The firm said: "The flight, which departed from Sandown Airport at approximately 9am, was carrying four passengers on board including the pilot, and was undertaking a flying lesson."
"Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a statement.