Report blames pilot for fatal Dubai gyrocopter crash in 2015

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Investigators say a pilot killed by a 2015 Dubai gyrocopter crash during the World Air Games failed to properly strap on his helmet before takeoff, causing it to fall off during a high-speed turn.

The report released Thursday by the General Civil Aviation Authority says the helmet “distracted his attention” during the turn, causing him to lose control and crash into the water off the man-made Palm Jumeirah archipelago during a race.

The report says the Dutch pilot, identified by local media in the United Arab Emirates as 49-year-old Arend van Randen, was underwater for 10 minutes before divers found him. The report says he died 10 days after the crash.

Dubai hosted the World Air Games in December 2015.